Banyan with golden boughs,
So bold and bright.
Your leaves are gone…
Yet you stand upright,
Against the sun,
Your glistening sheen,
Tall, Cheerful, so pristine.

The leaves that seemed
Your identity,
Your pride and garb…
Wilted, drooped…fell,
And left you one by one.
You did not lament,
Standing tall against the odds.
Your roots were strong,
So nothing went wrong.
Your boughs look thin.
But they’re equally strong.
They know when to let go,
And when to hold on.

Year after year I see you
As the cycle goes on…
I see a more strengthened you
After hard weather is gone.
Your arms reach out to me.
You speak to me as
I see you best at this time.
The harder it gets the more you shine.
I’ve felt you dancing in the breeze,
Waving to the other trees,
Rejoicing the new leaves.
But I see the best of you now.
Your true stark self…
How complete your core is,
Happiness glistening from within.
With scars of years that’ve been
So beautiful…outside and in.

These thoughts come in the hard times that the world and each one of us is going through. As I revisit and seek my inner strength, I hope we’ll all come out of this stronger.