WILLOW 5

 

So for a while the doves soared together. Flying above the clouds with their eyes towards the heavens. When they flew it was a beautiful thing They danced in their love with hearts that were full of joy. The world around them tried to deny their love for one ,another saying the ecstasy would never last But for several years the doves flew and the world was in awe of what they accomplished.

 

They two often flew alone as they felt they existed in a place That was beyond the other creatures in the fields. They took to the sky with their dreams and tried to find utopia. Unfortunately, they made the grand mistake of thinking they were special and that they could do it alone. Each time they reached out beyond themselves trying to fly ever higher, their insecurities would arise like dew on their wings and would send one or the other plummeting back to earth to sink their roots in again. They attempted many journeys to the heavens but the joy never lasted for long. Never attaining their dreams they lived with much frustration. Frustration which soiled their beautiful white plumes.

 

One day after the male dove had recoiled if fear from the burden of his insecurities, the female found herself flying alone. She flew on without knowing her direction and as he wings grew tired she descended and came to rest on the shoulders of a strong bronze buck I he buck stood firm in his direction, Confident in his own destiny, This was a virtue that the dove had never seen with her mate. It appealed to her intuition.

 

The male dove after burying with his insecurity returned to the female and received a fatal blow to his ego. The female dove no longer wanted his love and this sent him plummeting to the ground and once again he took root as the wild willow tree, He stood for days wallowing in his sorrows. As his roots dug through the earth he burrowed back into his past. Suddenly appearing among on his branched were visions of his earlier days in the forest. The cool cockle toed lion came and rested at his feet Still as cool as ever A sparrow that had long flown from his protection lit on one of his branches Another plucked at his leaves. This all stirred something very deep within the willow, He searched his soul for days on end. His mind retracing his journey back to when he was just a seedling in the forest. His insecurities haunted him until he understood. He could now see

 

that all the self assurance that allowed him to fly as a dove had been a false pretense that covered his feelings of inadequacy, his shame of his own existence. He could not accept the love of the dove for he could not accept the beauty of his own soul, Love is a gift that you cannot accept from another until you give it to yourself

 

So the willow picked up his roots and once again began to fly. He understood things as he never had before, having dissected his insecurities he now saw the value of his own true self The love that he never felt he deserved had always been their leading his way. But because he had followed the path of his fears he now finds himself flying alone. Alone and afraid that he will not be able to retain the lesson. Meanwhile, the female dove ventured through the forest with the buck, trying to shield her insecurity with the protection of his bronze armor, fearing the mistakes of the past will return to haunt her future

LMB 1997