Tree Hugger

One of the sad things about the COVID pandemic is that it sometimes brings out the worst in people.
Living in Maine and wintering in Mississippi put us in a category of "those from away" causing a local Mainer to warn EVERYONE to stay home...meaning stay where you are as long as its not Maine.  When "self-isolation" becomes "isolationism" people become wary, suspicious, distrustful and, ultimately, alone.

I wrote "Tree Hugger" as a response to this sort of attitude.

"Tree Hugger"

 There was an old woman who lived in a tree

She didn’t want neighbors and said “please let me be!”

She pulled up her ladder each day after three

So no one could reach her or climb up her tree.

The storms that season were worse than most

She could not see the ground and barely the coast.

Her ladder was down but soon blew away

She was alone at last day after day.

Happy at first but then came long nights

with long dark times and nary a light

Her food ran out and her water too

but she was way up a tree

and alone as could be.

One day, years later, someone saw with a start

A broken down treehouse falling apart

They found an old ladder and climbed up and found

a body that could not be seen from the ground.

The note in her hand was simple and short

“Forgive me my pride” 

her eulogy and retort.

from Gulfport, Mississippi,  April, 2020

returning home to Maine soon.