I found an adorable poem today when I went to play with Earth Stanzas. It was written by 11-year-old Fatou M’baye, a 5th grader in Kent Ohio. I am not only impressed with her poetic skills but I am also impressed with her mature relationship with trees.
Thank You, Tree
Fatou M’baye
Tree, you put the spark
back in my body.
And when I take a breath,
the lights behind my eyes
are turned on, and the fire
in my furnace crackles.
The whole world stops buzzing.
For once the Earth
will have a chance to think
and remember why we’re here.
On that day, I’ll look at you, tree,
through your leaves, your bark,
your sapwood, all the way to your heart—
your beating, beating heart—
and say, Thank you.
Fatou talks about the inspiration for the poem here: Thank You, Tree.
About the image: The postcard above was sent to me by my friend Christine B as an extra in Love Notes 26 (last year). The photo, shot by Reinhard Eisele, features “Stone Pines by the Gulf of Baratti” in the Tuscany region of Italy. Another translation tells me the trees are “Umbrella Pines.” [Which one is it?]
I am joining Parul Thakur for #ThursdayTreeLove every second and fourth Thursday of the month. If you would like to play along, post a picture of a tree on your blog and link it back to her latest #treelove post.
Pics and Posts 
“The whole world stops buzzing.” What an insightful poem! Fatou clearly has a special connection with trees and the peace they can bring us. The post card is like a mini vacation.
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When I first read her poem, I was like, “Whoa! Fatou is TALENTED.” And the postcard–vacation indeed! Trees and water? Definitely the best place to be!
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I would never have guessed the photo was from Italy. Love the trees!
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They’re beautiful! Aren’t they?
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Love those trees (and Christine B.), LOVE this poem and it was so terrific to listen to the young poet read it. Thanks for sharing Chandra! 🙂
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I know. Fatou is a treat!
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Italy! The flatness of those trees is intriguing. The poem and its furnace imagery – it’s amazing for an 11 year old to have that kind of maturity.
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I so agree! I’m floored by her mature tree love.
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Wow. The tree looks ditto like a green umbrella. Thanks for sharing the photo and the poem. The words “Tree love” itself gave me such joy and now after reading the poem, I am trying to find ways to thank the trees around us. Vey profound and a meaningful poem. 🙂
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What a poem! And written by an 11 YO shows so much depth and love. Thanks for your sharing, Chandra. I loved the picture too. The trees are beautiful and doesn’t look like Italy at all. I hope to see you back tomorrow. So glad you joined!
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I hope to be back tomorrow!
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