I’ve been working with my daughter on her CV today. She had to imagine writing one some years into the future when her higher education had finished. It got us thinking about what skills she had when she was younger. I remembered a bit of timeless wisdom she shared at age nine.

It was a poem she wrote from the point of view of a tree. We love our forest walks. And always make a point of spending plenty of time tuning in to the trees. I love how the trees connect with each other. How their branches and berries give us shelter and food. I find that when I am standing with the trees I feel the timeless flow of the Earth’s energy. It’s such a grounding experience. I also know that without the trees we would struggle. Because they also provide the oxygen we breathe. At a young age my daughter also recognised the damage we are doing to our trees.

Yesterday I wrote about raising children with praise. I feel that’s another timeless wisdom that we have let slip out of sight. I loved her tree poem and shared it on my Facebook timeline. My daughter responded with pride that her work was going out to a wider world. It encouraged her to keep on writing. Now she has a whole series of books ready to publish when she wishes. And she also understands that each one of us has a voice. That it is ok to share our concerns with other people. To try to raise awareness and get people to act. Even if trees are still being mismanaged or destroyed. The point is to see the world as it is and to work at making it better.

I feel children really get that. They understand how much care is needed to make sure our planet can continue to sustain human life. Their view of our predicament is timeless. Because they reflect the worries of so many people throughout the last two hundred years as the Industrial Revolution has driven our desire for more material things.

I have included her poem here. I am still proud of her words. They make me think about caring for the planet. They remind me to focus my energy on Mother Earth as well as the people and animals. And they call on me to listen to the children. To pay attention to their voices. Through their eyes the world is a wondrous place full of everything we require. They understand it better than we let ourselves. I hope you enjoy the poem too. And start listening more to the children and young people around you. Make sure they have the space to voice their opinions. After all, they will be the ones dealing with whatever we leave behind for them.

The Tree
I remember when my branches were full of wildlife
The lazy jaguar sleeping in my big, strong arms
Colourful macaws soar around me like a rainbow scarf
The Emperor butterflies tickle me as they gently pollinate my flowers
That was a long time ago

Now as I look around I see nothing but desert
My friends are dead, chopped down
I am surrounded by a graveyard full of my dead friends
The soil is black and useless
Most of the wildlife has been captured for pets
Others captured their skin
The butterflies no longer pollinate my flowers

I have seen the mighty forest grow
I have seen the mighty forest begin to die
Unless people help to rebuild the forest now
It will be gone forever.

Erin B aged 9

Day 908 0f my blogging challenge