While spending some time in an arboretum, after an “assignment” that challenged me in self-acceptance, my mind wandered to the metaphors surrounding me, as inspired by this quote: “Trees are poems that the earth writes upon the sky.” – Kahlil Gibran. How giraffes entered the picture, I’m not sure—but the free-flowing analogy began with them and ended with self-reflection.
Giraffes are the trees of the animal kingdom
A sturdy tall trunk that explodes into beauty at the top
The tongue a long branch that extends into the breeze
Covered in bright green leaves of nourishment
Rooted to the ground and statuesque
Oh how magnificent to look up towards the sky
And wonder at its reach into the clouds
As above I am below
In awe
No two alike, tree nor giraffe
The rings tell of one’s age
The spots of another’s personality
Each magical just as they are
Just as we are
Tall or short, thick or thin, spotted or aged bark
We are the movement of nature
And when we can see our own beauty
We can also soar
With our spirits just as high into the sky