Seasons come and seasons go,
Through it all, you stay ever-green,
Showers come and showers go,
But your branches still hang merrily,
Covered in snow, like a Christmas dream
Thick bark, deep roots,
Oak tree in a field of ferns,
Unchanging, the only one,
To stay ever-green
Years come and years go,
Yet you stayed ever-green,
Winter came and winter went,
But you’re still ever-green,
But a dream’s just a dream
You stand just as tall as ever,
But the travellers underneath notice the change,
Leaves once so green,
All shades of brown
“Maybe this tree wasn’t ever-green after all,” they say,
And I have to ask, “Are you as peaceful as you seem?
Or is standing in silence all you’ve ever known?”
Because if you didn’t plan to meld into the dark,
Why do I spot those ominous marks in your bark?
Tell me, O great oak tree,
If you what you feel is what you display,
Why do I sense a hidden rot?
Your leaves don’t change, nor do they fall,
But it doesn’t take a sharp eye to see,
The bent in your branch and the mite in your root,
And the precipitation that once made you beautiful,
Now just breaks you,
Time and time and time again
And now your life seems to be a game,
Of counting down the seconds till the next crack,
The final one, strong enough to bring down the timber,
Disconnect the branch from the roots,
Everyone knows it, but their silence is eternal,
As has been your agony
The end is near, I see it like a prophecy,
So do they, but we stay united in helplessness,
For I would try to lend you my strength,
But I have none
We unite in our rot,
For ever-green, we are not.
Being nineteen years of age, Sarmad is a student of the final year of Pre-Medical. Most of his writing inspiration comes from music, with him writing lyrical pieces at times. His poem "Evergreen" is about the struggle to hold it together even as things fall apart, and the pain of seeing a loved one in that situation, knowing they're beyond your help. In the same vein, his poem "I see it Snow" describes the feeling of sadness that engulfs oneself at every new years. While everyone looks forward to the year to come with hope in their hearts, the person in perspective can't help but feel bleak as they hold no such sentiments. They simply feel themselves scatter away like the winter snow from the heavens.
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