The Tree

I abandoned my home and left my house in town.
I got tired of my pot and wanted my own patch of ground.
Wasn't sure at first, but since then my roots have all stretched down.
It was peaceful, coexisting with nature all around.

But day to day, seasons change, I can't escape my old life.
I see the hikers and the hippies and the racers on their bikes, then it hits me,

I realize it's not the town that I disliked;
It's the people, yes the people, that were causing me such strife.

For years I've grown and the world has changed with me.
Now the melodies are softer that accompany the breeze.
The flowers and their colors become duller so it seems,
The people stand in silence as our Mother Earth bleeds.

The problem is the people, yes the people, same as before.
Like the people who chose me as just a seedling in a store.
Then neglected me constantly in a corner on their floor.
I'm sorry protecting nature has become such a chore.

But I escaped that life and finally now I live free.
Back in my pot I always thought that would fill me with glee.
But the people, yes the people, took the world from me.
And they'll continue to neglect the needs of nature, and this tree.

- Daniel P Slavin