Roots
Ellen Clayton
There’s an immovable tree inside me
carefully planted by my parents
Which they nurtured gently
each day and each year;
the roots growing in the same fertile soil as
An orchard of ancestors
My family keeps this
Fruitful, faithful tree flowering
So I am able to
thrive
I plant my feet firmly
Grow tall
above the cacophony
Of self-doubt and external judgement
And now, it’s my turn
Three tiny people relying on me and their
Father to tend the emerging shoots
of their identity,
Give them tools to flourish and bloom
We hope to cultivate confidence
To yield kindness, joy, strength, resilience
Our legacy:
An
unshakeable
sense of belonging grown from the
Roots
of our family tree