by Angela Swanson

 

To anyone who has ever been a friend to me

 

 

 ——

 

The thing about living by the friendship tree—is that it is

 

Necessary

 

 In addition to amazing

 

It is a place that allows us to breathe air—DEEPLY—

 

 

Even when we are not fine—or we don’t know what that means to be able to say otherwise—

 

 

Here, we are not people who feel too much and don’t do enough—or  

 

 The other way around—however it may seem to us …

 

 

 

Instead, we are people who love, smile, and try. We are free.

 

Accepted with every breath we breathe.

 

Even if that breath seems hard to get in and out now

 

Eventually it might become easier

Because—just like ventilators

 

Of the earth

 

That’s what trees do

 

Help us breathe air

 

So that we one day we can be

well and strong enough

to help save ourselves