A Living Roots Sanctuary – A Poem by Rachana

–

I looked down
and never saw our roots.
But I knew they had to be underneath us.

I had woken up
to find myself
in a forest
surrounded by my sisters.

So I looked up,
raised my hands
to touch the heavens,
believing the roots would let me grow.

In the dark
I reached for the roots.
In the light
I sought the sky.
Like trust,
I could not see them.
I could only feel them
in how far they dared me to grow.

The taller I stood,
the more I could reach.
But my sisters told me
I also needed to rest,
to stay still
and let the wind dance on my arms.

Our soil was different.
Our storms came in many shades.
Some of us were bent.
Some were weathered.
Some were still searching
for the ground beneath our feet.

But we stood beside one another,
branches reaching for the same sky.
Some with bare branches.
Some who had lost all their leaves.
Others with storms still living inside them —
like me.

When I was not strong,
they braided their roots with mine.

I never saw the roots.
But, listen.
I no longer need to.

Today I know
I found them
because I woke
in a forest full of my sisters
sharing their light with me.

And when a new twig pushes up,
we will bend down
and clear the soil for it.

She will not see her roots,
but she will see the sky.