232
I am naked.
I am exposed and colossal.
No color to shade me.
Just the remnants of my clothes on the ground.
I am bent and bony.
My arms embrace the oxygen around me.
The creatures, they lay on me.
And bleed to death atop my fingernails.
Will the children still look up?
Are they frightened by my shadows?
Can I keep them cool?
Or will I stab them with my daggers?
No more births upon my shoulder.
Young creatures once took refuge on my heel.
I’ve witnessed life beyond compare.
Patience withers with the flowers.
My neighbor, the Evergreen,
Is bold yet modest.
She flaunts the latest fashion.
While I shiver in the cold.
So here I stand in my limited light.
Scrambled to mask my insecurities.
I will never be an Evergreen.
I will simply dye like the clothes.
