Two Trees In A Forest, A Letter To Friends Poem by Curtis Johnson

Two trees In A Forest
By Curtis Johnson

Hi John and Mary,

A few months ago, I heard that you were contemplating leaving.
And the move was not across town nor another region of the state.
But it was way across country, and at least a thousand miles away

Refusing acceptance, I was at once quickened by an emotion saying, “No! ” Puzzled a bit and in no mood for believing, I simply refused to let you go

In my head I tried to understand, but deep in my heart I was grieving.
Perhaps it’s you who do not understand, that it’s you we shall be ever needing. We shall be missing you, and the gifts that you continue to bring into our lives

At first, I must have been looking through dim glasses, or perhaps I simply refused to open my eyes to see. But things became clearer, as I looked through the eyes of others. It was then that I realized that some things simply ‘must be’.

The rapid pace and the routines of life display the forest to me, and I am denied the pleasure and the beauty of the tree. But I am truly enriched and made proud by the sacrifice, that you are making for your family

There are certain things in life that we must come to know.
We observe the lives of others, as well as our own experiences.
If our eyes, ears, and hearts are truly open, we learn how to grow.
When the knowing is deep and solid, we are able to release and let go

We must learn to live with the fact that time indeed changes all thing naturally. And I am coming to understand that the forest will remain and replenish itself. And I understand that too many of us are busy, with only time to see the forest. And so we ride and rush on by; we abide and thrive with too little time to see the tree. But once we have seen the tree, we mark it, and to it our hearts will always be attached

Although my words fall short of the deeper language of my heart, I will say this to you: “I see you, and in spite of all the other trees of the forest, You are the two marked trees, exquisite and distinguished from all the rest”.

Farewell my dear friends. You are loved, I shall be missing you.

Cj06022015