Stationary

I was more than pulp

More than I am now

Before I was sifted

Before the machines

When I felt a breeze

I was stationary

Unmoving from my ground

I started small

Then grew so tall

Way above the ground

I was there to see so much

All who came to town

I held so many in my arms

And most of them fell out

I brought in those who passed

Those long buried in the ground

I could drink the water

So near to my feet

They parked in my shade

Lost virginity

For decades I held firm

For years I blossomed well

My beauty as I shed the colors

Was without parallel

It hurt so much that day

Those who came not here for fun

I lost so much that day

When last I felt the sun

I wished that I could tarry

And thus remain stationary

I was cut

I wash slashed

I was burned

I was drowned

I was ground down

Until only my fiber remained

Down to my barest

I was hard pressed

To keep myself together

Left to myself

I would have

Preferred the dark

Then I need not suffer

That which might be next

That which I never could have guessed

Would come from my time

When I had the air

Water sun and life

When I once again knew light

It was not the same warmth I once knew

Instead it was harsh

And bright

I was placed upon another

Who had met a similar fate

Though she was larger

And my size quite small

I could see she was no longer here

If I could I would have shed a tear

I went by many names before

Time feeling so long gone

I recall my time as stationary

Tall and firm and strong

Though they refer to me as stationery

Something feels quite wrong