the secrets of trees

image by Rachel Winstead

I am keeping a few secrets.

I am cherishing them and holding them close.

Because revealing a secret feels like an announcement. One that’s taken and filtered through another’s lens.

“I’m proud of you,” he’ll say, and it feels like ownership to me. Like it was his secret all along, like I’m not allowed to achieve or be or grow all on my own.

(I am proud of myself. That is all that matters.)

The tallest trees might seem isolated, branching out, towering above their well-shaded friends below. They have their secrets, too.

But underneath is their root system: supportive, nurturing, nourishing, full.

You’re proud of me, yeah? You’ve rested in my shade.

How have you nourished me?

How are you keeping me full, when you dig at my roots?