#em collins

[ifmyhangnailsweretrees]

An astronaut is told they'll be unable to return to Earth due to unforeseen complications:

"The sun is rumored to have been extinguished, and I shall wander absurdly through space;

Houston—it is all beautiful."

[ifmyhangnailsweretrees]

the heart is breaking, and i allow it.

em

[ifmyhangnailsweretrees]

[ifmyhangnailsweretrees]

i'm but an orb of light convinced that it is human.

em collins 

[ifmyhangnailsweretrees]

always.

[ifmyhangnailsweretrees]

it still hurts--

but i’m beginning to feel the sun.

i’m remembering the way it tastes through my leaves;

the way it creeps down my thick, trunk spine;

the way it pulls at my roots through the crimson, tarnished grass which covers a blanket of black snow.

it still hurts-- 

but with a bit of light i’m remembering 

why autumn isn’t just a time for falling.

grow with me.

-em 

[ifmyhangnailsweretrees]

i lost myself in raging seas,

far away from any tree.

but sometimes we need the rage 

to get us moving--

out of the sea 

and onto a landing.

and i’ve got a grasp of the cliff;

i’m digging my nails in the dirt.

i’m pulling myself up with kicking feet,

and i’ve grasped a root 

that’s still tucked deep.  

and despite its lack of H2O, its pause, its fear,

its difficulty to grow--

all trees are worth their time,

especially those that have yet 

to reach their prime.   

so meet me here: by this young, strong oak. 

i’ve got a bucket of sea, 

and you can bring the sun.  

-em

[ifmyhangnailsweretrees]

Inklings of Calgary

i am unsure if any of you trees are from Calgary, Alberta, but if you are i encourage you to join my local literary discussion group: Inklings of Calgary.  

let's read, talk, express, and be nothing short of our extraordinary arbor-selves.