The Tree

A tree. Tall, strong, immovable. Climbing the tree seems impossible. A branch so high, out of reach.

A girl. Small, and weak compared to the tree. One night, coldness penetrated her. The wrong shoes made slipping easy. But a determination burned in her. Pure will to climb the tree took over. No matter how many times it took, she would get it. And she did. She climbed the tree.

The same girl. Bad shoes, with cold penetrating her. A small determination. A few tries. Failure. There is no fire this time. And she walks away, defeated.

Perhaps in life, she is being defeated. Trees push her down and she gives up. Where did her fighting fire go? Why does she have no hope? Why is she so alone?

She feels sapped. Taken advantage of. Used. Many people need and trust her. She helps them and they move on. But yet, she trusts no one. Not even herself. She still tries though. Hoping for a better outcome. But each time its the same. And she finds herself completely alone.

One boy understands. See's the girl she won't trust anyone to see. She finds a little comfort in him. But yet, he too doesn't see. He leaves and she is alone. He's not hers. She doesn't love him. She just needs a friend. But he belongs to someone else. And she won't take him. He is needed elsewhere.

Alone. Lost. Afraid.

The girl is....

A new tree. Same girl. Same shoes. With the penetrating cold. The branches can be reached from the ground. Footholds make climbing easy. But she's still afraid. A timid try scares her more. People above her are calling for her to climb. A dear friend below pushes her up. A small fire lights and she tries. But she falls. Her knee scrapped up, her friend in pain from catching her fall. She gives up.

He jumps from the tree and pulls her up. With him pushing, and her love pulling, and some small effort from her, she climbs it.

She is not really alone in life. Her friends surround her and push her at times. They help rebuild her fire. Its not perfect yet, but she knows its getting better.

The boy doesn't give her comfort anymore. The boy who pulled her and the girl who caught her make her feel the most herself now. Its with them that everything is okay.

Improvement. Smiles. Hope.

The girl is....