Entry #6

Weep Willow, Weep
by Wavemancali


From the time I’ve been able to stand on a chair and help my mama with the dishes, I’ve looked out this window to the willow tree in my back yard.

It’s there now swayin’ in the breeze like it has been for the last seventy-three years I remember watching it.

There were days I was sure that God almighty himself had decided to tear that tree from the ground and bring it on up to heaven to plant in his own garden. But that tree musta had some of the devil in him ‘cause he stayed right here.

I look at that tree and I hear the sounds of supper in the kitchen and BBQ’s in the back yard. It’s under that tree that I stole my first kiss from Danny Washington, or he stole it from me.

There are two cats, three hamsters and a turtle buried under the tender shade of its branches. It wept along with us on those days.

If you look close enough you can see where Harold carved the initials of the children the day each one of them was born. It wept with joy for us on those days too.

Now them land developers are tryin’ to take that away from me. They say the mold count is too high around here because of Katrina and they’re gonna tear the whole neighborhood down and my willow tree with it. That ain't right.

Hand me my cane junior, let’s go see that judge.