2005-10-16
The Chestnut Tree
A brief preface:Last night, I felt terrible. I was alone sitting in my house. I was bored and I was not feeling particularly gleeful- in fact, I felt a little sick of everything: school, friends, family, all my obligations, and especially of myself. I realized that all I really needed to do was to get outside of myself. I was being too self-absorbed, too focused on my own well-being and neglecting all else that I could do with my thoughts, time, and energy.
So I went outside. I had been too inside. It was ten o'clock and very dark, and I had intended to look at the stars. The stars are poignant reminders that there is more to this world, this life, than my trifling concerns, and yet that I am a part of it all, endearingly attached and connected. My existence is a mere contribution.
Well, it was hazy that night, with visibility in the heavens depleted by a quilt of clouds. But I still found solace as I walked along and eventually ended up under a baring chestnut tree. Looking upward, I had one of those faintly profound epiphanies that I recognize within myself ever so often. As I basked in the tree's simple and strong beauty, I started to think of words to express the sensation. I devised this poem in my mind while I walked the few blocks home and then hustled to scribble it down. I like it best read aloud; it reminds me how I felt that night as I allowed myself to appreciate the nature.
leesah-likes at 10:21 p.m.