A Tree Grows Here

Trees. They are an ancient source of wisdom and knowledge to mystics and followers of the old ways. The old ones have stood for countless years as strong sentinels, protecting the secrets and truth of ages past. Sheltering and nurturing new life, their roots spread wide and deep into the ground, to anchor against the storms that nature brings. Branches may fall; they may snap from the strength of prevailing winds, but the body remains strong and ready to regenerate new limbs in the calm that follows.

It is an endless cycle of growth and rebirth; an example of strength, persistence and fortitude and it can be likened to this community. We are the limbs of a tree whose roots are firmly planted in the legacy one special man left behind. We guard and protect his legacy of truth and love and justice, of selfless giving and of humbleness, of the artistry of his music and dance. And we carry his voice of change within us.

We fight against the disease of injustice that helped to destroy him, and against the hatred, jealousy and self-service that grows amongst us. We can prune those branches who serve no other purpose than to leech nutrients from the soil in which we grow. And some branches will fall when the winds are too strong for their lightness of being to withstand.

But new life grows and will continue to do so. Our branches will keep spreading and injustice will be righted. The truth of this man will become known to all through our words, our actions and the music of his life. He planted a seed and watered it with love, and now a tree grows here in our hearts. A tree grows here!

What Brought Us Here?

What brought us here to this place where we stand?

Was it the melody sung or the poem penned during sleepless nights?

Or was it that first whisper where consciousness floated to a single awareness?

We felt it trace the outline of our thoughts

Skimming across indifference and careless disregard

Eyes and ears opened

And when the whisper gave birth to the voice

We heard, we saw, we felt the shift to a place outside ourselves

Eyes viewed a different world

Our slumber was over and we had awoken to a new reality

Ears heard an age-old message

One now sung upon the pages of history

Through the lyrics of one life

A life filled with the joy of living

Of children and laughter

Of the pain of betrayal

In service to others through unselfish love

Of dance and song

Change came to us

And we embraced it

Cradled and protected within newfound knowledge

So, what brought us here to this place where we stand?

A man the color of hope

A man the shape of love

A man carrying a powerful truth

Gone is the body, but his voice will never be silenced

Because we, now speak his message

A man the shape of loveA man the color of hopeOf dance and songIn service to others through unselfish loveOf the pain of betrayalOf children and laughterA life filled with the joy of livingEars heard an age-old messageOur slumber was over and we had awoken to a new realityWas it the melody sung or the poem penned during sleepless nights?

                    

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQmoitUJBLE 

By Valmai Owens© 2011. All Rights Reserved.
No reproduction without permission from author.

This interview appears in the publication Dot to Dot: Keeping Michael’s Legacy Alive,

http://mjtpmagazine.presspublisher.us/
and its content is the property of the authors and the Michael Jackson Tribute Portrait. Articles and exclusive interviews are copyrighted; therefore there should be no republication without permission. You may email edito@michaeljacksontributeportrait.com with any requests for republication. If permission is given, credit must be given to the author, Dot to Dot: Keeping Michael's Legacy Alive and the Michael Jackson Tribute Portrait.