The Memory Tree

• Elyse Nguyen, Grade 5
• Poetry
• 2021

Behind the dismal shacks and sheds,
Lies an ancient willow.
With sweeping branches, and memories of war.

It knows the truth, it knows the lies.
It hears the gunshots, it hears the cries.
War after war, each one the same:
Futile, senseless, devastating, seeing the world aflame.

Pitted and scarred, its bark bears the mark of time
Wrapped around its steadfast, resolute trunk.
The last to drop its fiery leaves
And first to leaf out in spring's breeze.

Behind the silence, shock, and shame
Lies the memory, gratitude, and affirmation
I climb the majestic Memory Tree, to ponder about old times
I lie on the bough of the Great Giant, and rest tranquilly in the sunset.