Roots

It started deep in the earth and far below the ground, So far away that the tree never saw those roots, But she has always known they are there, Deeper in her history than any other tree can remember.

She knows their names, their places. Where they came from, her story. Her type is from Europe if one studies. But her roots have been in Kiwi grounds for centuries.

The roots closer to the surface she knows. The closest ones were the ones who made her, Because of them the tree burst through the ground, And because of them she became a sapling.

When she was a young sapling the roots did everything for her. They made sure she was fed, warm, and loved. Made sure the howling gales and pounding rain didn’t harm her. They raised her through the storms of pain and grief.

She’s older now and is more independent. She has her own animals that sit in her bright green leaves. Her own fruits and flowers. Branches and twigs. But she still needs her roots and always will.

They make the tree her and they will always be a part of her. They healed her and saved her when things went wrong. Even when she thinks she no longer needs them they are always there. Loving her and sheltering her in more ways than she could know.

I am sitting right below the tree's swaying branches. I look out at her sisters and brothers who cover the rolling land. The tree and I are more similar than people would think. We have both been born, raised and protected by our roots.

Chloe Moreham-Smith (Year 11)