Our Twin Oak Trees
Two huge oak trees surround the home I live in.
I took them for granted a long time,
considering them only twin objects of beauty, made for me to look at with pride,
because their branches of dark brown glistened in the sun, the thick and lush green leaves bright as the blinking neon sign that said “come on in folks” at Jimmy’s nightclub down the street.
Like dangling , gold hoop earrings hanging down on my shoulder spicing up one of my old outfits, a fashion accessory.
Like glue and glitter that work together to make a boring painting attractive and valuable.
Like the charcoal paint I use on my eyelids when I crave people to look me in the eye and and know that I want them to stare at me only if they find me pretty.
No other purpose could my young eyes see that those twin oak trees served other than to accessorize, decorate, and draw attention to our small and antique home.
That is until the day I stepped out onto the street and never seen the car that grazed my thigh,
when my arms flew out from under me and my large body hit the rocky pavement in shock,
when I blacked out dreaming of those twin oaks while the doctor’s fixed me up.
When I woke up in a room with broken bones, scrapes and a monster of a headache,
That’s when I learned those twin oaks were more than objects of beauty, They were also protection, a place where I could go and hide from the world.
They were a source of shade clearing my vision when the sun blinded my eyes from danger.
They were safety for in their branches I could climb high up above where no one or anything could hurt me because they couldn’t reach me.
So when I left the hospital and returned home as my mom drove the car into the driveway,
I seen our beautiful twin oaks as more, much more than an object of beauty.
The summer breeze blew on my arm bandage as if the oaks were blowing me a kiss.
I smiled knowing that their strength lied not in their beauty,
but instead their beauty lies within their strength.
They were beautiful for what was inside of them much more than what I could see with my eyes.
Inside where they kept me safe, kept me protected and most importantly made me feel loved.
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