Life was exciting,

As a tree on this land.

My roots went down deep;

My crown noble and grand.

I reached high toward the sun,

My branches fanned out,

And year after year

I grew sturdy and stout.

Surrounding me always

There were sights and sounds

Foxes scurrying by

Squirrels jumping around

Birds nesting in my branches

Ants crawling on my bark

Sun shining on my leaves

Snow making its mark

United together

Symbiosis for all

Our purpose was great…

But then in rolled a squall.

Wind whipped at my branches

Rain pooled at my base

The dirt all around me

Was being erased.

The storm remained steady

It was mighty and strong

Then my roots, they uprooted

I fell and…

It

Felt

Wrong.

After the fall

I lay there surprised

Yet I knew what would happen,

My purpose revised.

Upon the forest floor

Not attached to the earth

I’d give of myself

And share all I was worth.

My bark would break down

I’d be a refuge for seeds

Animals would make homes

With my branches and leaves

But my fate changed again quickly

When a young girl came past

On a walk, out exploring

She spotted me fast.

“A tree, it’s a treasure!”

She yelled with delight.

She thought I was beautiful

A spectacular sight.

Her mother and father

also took a long look

At the tree that she wanted

To take home and rework.

And so they agreed,

To take me away.

I’d be put in their workshop

And become something someday.

My roots were left there

and all of my stump

my branches and leaves

they left scattered in clumps

But once in their workshop

My shape gently changed

they made me into a door

A new life was arranged

I opened with ease,

Not a creak or a squeak

And my job was so simple

My stance tidy and neat.

But I felt lost and alone

Swinging over this floor

Very quickly I became

A very bored door

Every day was the same

Open, shut, and ajar

In and out, out and in

This had gone too far!

Everything was the same

The repetition, terrible.

My fate seemed to be sealed

Every day hardly bearable

I was used to my spot

In the woods with the seasons

How could I live like this

With no purpose or reason?

I pouted and I sulked

I felt dull and I felt drained

But then I had to wonder

Am only I to blame?

So I started to notice

The girl who was there

Maybe this was the cure?

To become more aware?

I decided to try

to guess what she’d do—

Fling me open, slam me shut?—

As she raced on through.

What would she be wearing?

How would she smell?

Would she be happy or sad?

Or even bored as well?

I noticed when winter began

And decorations were hung

I was dressed up in garland

Strings of popcorn were strung

Then spring arrived next

With hearts, rainbows, and eggs

And pretend little birds

Taped along my inlays

When summer arrived

A little vase was hung-up

To hold fresh flowers

The little girl had plucked

Autumn came quickly

And as leaves started to fall

Turkey hands were put up

and a hook for warm shawls

She taped up her art

On my front and my back

Of robots and peacocks 

And a bat drawn in black

I felt unexpectedly pleased

When they marked on my side

How tall the girl grew

She looked at me with pride.

The look of pride she gave me

Sparked a feeling I’d known

From my days in the woods

When I never felt alone.

Being sad and scared

And bored and annoyed

Was okay for a bit

But it did not fill my void.

I’d come to realize with time

That change can been great

A chance to appreciate,

transform, and relate.

Because whatever I am

And wherever I may be

My perspective remains

The only way to stay free.

So I watched the girl grow

She heard me start to creak

and my life was exciting

My stance noble and neat.

Will I change again? Yes!

Maybe a window, an oar?

But I know now it’s my choice

Not to be a bored door