The Redwood

I slumped beside an old redwood tree
And started to think about my past
This tree has stood for a thousand years
But in my life, nothing seems to last

Then I started to contemplate
All the tales this tree must hold
And trees, well they do not speak
So my story can not be retold

So I settled there with that redwood
For more hours than I care to admit
I let every skeleton out of my closet
Shared every time I did not feel fit

I told the redwood how I feel so lost
How I have never seemed to fit in
People don't seem to understand me
And I'm not comfortable in my own skin

I described how hard things have been
Living my life with no roots sown
How there are times I honestly believe
That I will never feel at home

I explained how my family abandoned me
It has been hard to stomach but sadly fact
I practically raised myself from five years on
So I seldom know how I should act

I wept about my beautiful daughter
All the patterns I swore I would break
But it turns out I'm just like my parents
What a devastating blow to take

I whispered of the darkest times
Four overdoses and still couldn't get sober
If I had not have kicked it when I did
The fifth time would have been game over

I discussed how when I got sober
That things were supposed to improve
I changed everything about my life
My walk, the way I talk, the way I move

And at that moment I had a realization
That I had forgotten to change my thoughts
Continuing old negative thinking patterns
Is the web in which I am still caught

As the redwood and I sat in silence
All the answers they slowly came
I am not the person they think I am
And I will no longer live in shame

At that moment my whole life changed
After a one-sided conversation with a tree
I finally found some peace in my life
That beautiful old redwood set me free