Twitchy Tree Tales: A Tropical Tantrum?

National Poetry Month, Day #18

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National Poetry Month, Day #18

Twitchy Tree Tales

A Tropical Tantrum?

Photo shot from the deck of Ricar2 Restaurante, by Author

I saw a tree mid-freak-out,
leafless, loud, and cross — 
each limb a flailing protest sign,
for everything it lost.

The howlers howled, the toucans gawked,
the coatis stopped mid-snack — 
as Fright Tree shouted, “¡Sálvame!
There’s danger at my back!”

“I’ve heard the buzz of chainsaws — 
suffered scratchy ocelots,
and don’t get me started on termites
with their tiny, wicked thoughts!”

A sloth looked up (eventually),
raised one brow and chewed a leaf.
The iguana blinked, “You okay, bro?”
while Fright Tree twitched in grief.

“I’m done with rain, with Quetzals,
with ants inside my bark!
I miss my leaves! I need a nap!
I’m feeling… very stark!”

A mango dropped beside it — 
a soft and juicy plop — 
and Fright Tree sighed, “Okay, okay…
I’ll stay. But y’all must stop.”

— Adelia E. Ritchie

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Author’s note: I was having lunch at a lovely cliffside restaurant in my neighborhood when I spotted this freaked-out tree that looked like it was running for dear life, screaming out of the jungle. I felt an urgent empathy with that pathetic tree and wanted to console it somehow. Perhaps I was projecting again. The next time I visited that restaurant, the tree had vanished. Now, for the rest of my life, I will wonder where she ran off to and if she found peace.

Thanks for being here!