By Jordan De La Garza
I pushed my way through the dirt
Reaching for the rumored sun
I struggled to breathe the morning air
As the day had just begun
I grew a few leaves
And a couple roots
I was small and green
With no sign of fruit
Alone I waited
Alone I grew
I thought if I was tall enough
I could see if the sky was really blue.
Until one day
You watched as I blossomed on the branch
You waited until I ripened on the tree
You reached to pluck my fruit
And You consumed me
After you had your fill of me
You threw away my seeds
You left to find another tree
You did not look back at me
But still I continued to grow
My leaves reached for the sky
My roots grew firm and deep
As the seasons passed me by
My tree is now tall and strong
My fruit hangs heavy and low
I no longer cry when they fall
I know my leaves will come and go.
Jordan de la Garza wrote this poem as a reflection of her experience with men. She no longer feels quite so vulnerable, but we’ve all been little saplings at one point or another. Jordan is now in college and has finally worked up the courage to send out her work.
