the Yellow Box rattles in the wind
dead branches entwined with sky
trunk brushed in blue
at the turnoff drivers ask
why’s that tree
got a blue coat?
passengers wonder
strollers and joggers pause
ask why is blue so sad
a silence
inside
when it’s also sky and sea
why is it too hard to say
something’s really wrong?
socks paired face washed hair brushed
we make ourselves look better than we are
so no one sees our shuddering shame
my thoughts are worried leaves
in a storm
my mind is bark eaten away
my job is too much I think I’m done
how will I make money to pay my rent
let alone my debt
my family was stolen and my land
my body doesn’t feel like me
thrashing limbs I can’t stop
so scared I’ll be ripped away
I’m different to anyone I’ve ever met
they left me
I was hurt too much
where can I live
where can I be safe?
my love is not accepted
I asked for help but it’s too much
this pain has done me in
lopped branch after branch
the world has raced ahead of me
I’m lonely
people will think
why is that tree in Lyons blue?
ask have you seen that big blue tree?
people on the drive to work
to the shops to visit
kids walking home from school
don’t know what to say
might make it worse?
ask why is that tree blue?
it’s a start to find a way to say
there’s something really wrong
this feeling it’s not leaving
or I am worried about our friend
so why is that tree blue?
in the listening and speaking
here in Country
in Lyons right near Woden
in the valley near the creek
we might find a way to hear
to say
yes I’ll listen
we can try to talk
I’ll sit with you
I’ll come
Sarah St Vincent Welch, © 2023
