Come and meet me for a chat,
My friend,
Under this Palo Verde tree.
Let's talk of life and pain and strength in hopes of what can be.
Share with me your joy and hurt,
And I'll talk to you of mine.
We grow our trust like branches do,
Slow but strong with time.
You hear me when I speak my life,
And I welcome when you reveal The shadow roots buried under us,
Yet need a voice to heal.
We have desert days and monsoon rain when hopeless thoughts invade.
This tree of life withstands it all,
Draws us back into its shade.
Where others may see brokenness or lives in disrepair,
We see the best and trash the rest,
Refusing to swallow despair.
What brought us here to this place of growth,
Reasons differ,
Unique as this tree.
What matters is that we find refuge,
Our scene,
In shared humanity.
My wish is when we leave this shade,
To live on,
But not just survive.
To take what we've learned,
Love ourselves more,
Live lives like this tree where we thrive.
The stigma,
Remember,
It's not ours to bear.
We're as real as real can be.
And maybe that's why we're here,
My friends,
Under this Palo Verde tree,
With love.