March 14, 2020 – Stuyvesant Park, NYC

This was a freewriting exercise that came out of the Breathe.Read.Write workshop offered by Lisa Freedman. I gave an instruction of a 10-minutes tree meditation. After we meditated with a tree, Lisa read the poem “I Trust the Wind and Don’t Know Why” by Wyn Cooper, then she asked us to write from the voice of the tree that we just spent time with.

“I am not a sissie. I’ve been standing here in this noisy, bustling urban environment for a long time. Even though they’ve tried to contain me at roots, put hard concrete on top on my roots, I keep expanding. I go deeper, finding water and nutrition where humans don’t reach and interrupt my natural freedom. I dig deeper into them and I bring them back through my body and reach upward.

Yes, it’s hard sometimes. The wind blows, and I don’t get support from my fellow tree family in a natural way, but I am growing and thriving. Even if it means I have to stretch sideways, and be twisted. Yes, I am growing and defying gravity, like a snake slithering in air. I branch out in the direction of the sun. I ask for help. And here I am, while humans are panicking over a new virus, I’ve stood here and watched many pandemic come and go. It shall pass too.

Ah spring, yet another winter survived. How nice to feel the birds singing again on the branches. I can’t wait for summer to come and flower. Oh sweet spring rain, help me grow stronger and taller…”