Dear Broken Branch
An Epistolary Poem
Dear Broken Branch,
_
Did it hurt when you fell, crashing from the family tree?
Thrown to the ground in a violent thud.
Cast out,
By Mother Nature’s fierce screaming winds and
Father Winter’s bitter, icy heart.
Did it break your heart as your innocent limbs shattered on impact?
Or just your bones?
Did anyone care
as you lay there,
Still hugging that family tree,
Begging forgiveness for your greatest and only sin -
WEAKNESS?
Can you see the tiny buds forming when you look up?
Did you know they’re meant to replace you, and that
Not one limb on that family tree misses you,
Or even cares that you ever existed?
They don’t think about you at all.
They’re too busy with those new buds.
Sustaining, protecting them,
As they once protected you
Until you were struck by a bolt from one much more powerful.
And when that trauma came, what did your family tree do?
They ignored you. They gave you no more sustenance;
No more buds, no more leaves, no more blooms,
No more protection.
They watched you slowly weaken until you lost the strength to hold on.
Then they cast you away,
And sent you crashing to the ground in a violent thud;
Where you still lie,
Rejected, ignored,
Left to be shit on by birds and have what remains of your bones
Chewed apart by animals.
Yet still, you lie there
Hugging that family tree, still praying for forgiveness for your weakness,
And acceptance for who you are.
I’m sorry to tell you, Broken Branch, but that acceptance will never come.
It’s time for you to move on, time to change your form,
And your future.
I know, that sounds painful, but trust me it will be okay.
You will live on, even if not in your original state.
You will get a new family and they will make you happy.
You will cover them.
You will sustain them.
You will guard them with the fiercest protection;
The protection that was never given to you.
_
Sincerely,
One who believes in you
About the Creator
Cathy holmes
Canadian family girl with a recently discovered love for writing. Other loves include animals and sports.
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Comments (27)
Well that was…intense. Very cool!
A beautiful allegory for the lives of most of us. Fantastic Cathy!
fuck...this is brutal and honest with a sense of hope at the end! tremendous!
Absolutely beautiful! So heartfelt and relatable. Great job!
So beautifully crafted. So much pureness in this.
Wow! There is way too much family resemblance in that branch. ❤️ Well done.
Wow I loved this with every ounce of me. So emotional and yet the end makes it so powerful and redemptive. You can't choose the family you're born to, but you can choose those who embody the true meaning of the word and make them your own. Loved it!
This made me so emotional, Cathy! So much depth in your words. Wonderful job! 💫
And again you produce outstanding work Cathy! Love it 😍
Beautiful
To be dismissed, disowned, disavowed from one's origins, their family of birth. Removed from your own roots, everything that once sustained & sheltered you, left to find some place to transplant & attempt to set down roots apart from everything you've ever known. My oldest brother once cut a branch from a neighbor's lilac bush & stuck it in the ground near our driveway. It flourished. I used to take cuttings of coleus & impatiens, place them in jars of water until roots began to grow & I could transplant them either in pots or in the garden the following summer. Our dad used to do the same with African violets. But how often does it happen without someone watching over, tending & taking care of it? The only time I've ever known it to happen was with that lilac branch. And since I hadn't been born yet when it happened, I couldn't tell you whether the took special care of it or if that's all they did, the way mom made it sound. But when someone who is patient & kind, sees you & responds with love, healing can begin.
The layers here are making me emotional! beautiful work!
This was lovely Cathy, with more than a few sharp edges! Thank you for sharing. 😊
Aw, this moved me! That poor branch. 🥲 I do always feel bad when trees lose their branches. But also...it can make them grow higher! I loved this so much! 😍
That poor branch🥲Great work Cathy!
And here I am sobbing uncontrollably for that broken branch. This was just so sad. I felt my broken heart break even further for the broken branch. It hurts how easily he was ignored and cast aside just because of his weakness. Don't worry branchy, one day, you will get revenge 🥺❤️
So many layers, stitched with honesty and courage. Bravo
Great!!! "You will live on, even if not in your original state. You will get a new family and they will make you happy. You will cover them. You will sustain them. You will guard them with the fiercest protection; The protection that was never given to you. Sincerely, One who believes in you"
Wow this is deep and sadly relatable my friend. Well done 💕💕
Brilliant!!!💖💖💕
A great challenge entry , nature related like my last poem, and a probably Top Story
It’s very sad, you do wonder if a tree feel pain when it loses it branches 😔Nicely done 👍
Mother Nature is ruthless, and so are people sometimes. Perfect metaphor.
Oh damn! This was...I'm lost for words. Amazing!!
Ooooh, This is a Good segment 📝❤️😉🎯🍃