When all the leaves fall at your door
Do not blame the tree
For it wept all year round
Hoping
Praying you would notice
That it’s roots are parched
In need of more than water
When the tree bends and begins to wither
Do not weep
For you ignored it every time it bled
Spread across your naked lawn like the night lit sky
Hoping you would take notice
Of its beauty
Acknowledge the many light-years it traveled to get to you
It is not a coincidence
That we look like trees when we stretch our limbs out
The fruits of minds are nourished by intelligence
Those who are ready to partake can pick these fruits
Those who are ready to nest in
Can build a home in our hearts
And those who are ready to fly can take flight from our height
Those who are ready to build can chop us down to a stump
And those who are hungry can burn us and eat our flesh
Ntaoleng Labane is a poet from the Free State Bloemfontein. She has her own podcast streaming on several channels including Spotify. Check out the link and follow for more content