Page 60 - HEF Pen & Ink 2020

UNTITLED
by Nina Bracht-Bendell
TREE
by Braelyn Germaine
I begin small in the dark.
In order to live, I must first break.
I wake to the sound of emeralds and jade. Though I am more precious than these,
I always long to be more.
My fingers are bronze tears
That drop to the ground and scatter Like small pebbles on a mountainside. My hide is a shield, tried and true
It molds my shape.
Though I have no eyes, I have many ears That tell of whispered secrets Overheard in green gardens
And gabled rooftops.
This all I do in an endless cycle. Through many storms, I remain.
I can stand the test of time
Unlike so many things, I am constant
58
Never changing, ever growing until— I am gnawed from the inside.
Like doubt eats at courage
My spine will disintegrate
And become an empty home.
My life will be cut from me
Like a vine of fears stopping my breath.
Like a soldier defeated I will wilt
And become the shell of what I once was; Home now to all manner of vile creatures Who longed only for my end.
With a soundless crash I will fall
And become the fuel of my enemies.
So it has been
And so it will be
For none can truly stand the test of time. The day will end, and though
I may not live to see it, I know
There will always be another sunrise.