How Diana Became the Tree

Diana became the tree
At three pm
Four days into July

She put her hand against the bark
And leaves sprouted from the top of her head
And the rest of her rooted itself
Into the ground

Diana's mother saw this happening
From her kitchen window
And so she ran out to the spot
Where the old tree used to be
And now there was a little boy
With a slightly green face
That was slowly turning a normal color

'Well,' said Diana's mother, 'I guess you're my child now.'

And she brought him inside
To make him take his bath
And get ready for dinner

Meanwhile, Diana was enjoying the sounds of the singing bird
That built a nest on her right arm

She liked being able to see so far
Past the neighborhood where her family lived
Into the city where her father worked

Oh, he was going to be very surprised when he came home
To find out that he not only had a new son
But a new tree as well

It never occurred to Diana
That she should cry over the situation
Because what could she do?

And why was it any better to be a tree than a child?

A tree could live much longer
Than a child could
Because eventually all children become adults

Diana began to giggle
As a squirrel climbed up to the top of her
Searching for a place to live

When her father came home
And asked where Diana was
Her mother pointed to the tree outside
And her father said, 'Oh'
Because it didn't seem all that strange

Diana was such a strong little girl, after all
And the old tree had been rather sad looking
And so it was better off as a little boy
That could be cheered up with ice cream and a new bike

Trees were much harder to cheer up
Than children

As the summer passed by
The little boy that had once been a tree
Built a house in Diana's branches
And the two of them got along fine

In a way, they felt like siblings
Since they now had the same parents

Although Diana was beginning to forget
What it had been like to be a little girl

And the little boy was starting to forget
What it had been like to be a tree

Then one day, as the little boy
Was climbing down from his treehouse
He fell, and before Diana could catch him
With one of her branches
He landed on the ground

His mother saw him from the kitchen
And ran into the yard
Worried that he was hurt

When she reached him
He wasn't breathing
And his color looked very bad

Diana could see that the little boy was in trouble
And as she watched her mother begin to cry
She slowly took her branches in
And let her bark turn to skin
And her leaves to fingers
And her roots to toes

Her mother was so surprised to see her
That she stepped back without being asked
And watched Diana put her hands
On the little boy

And as she did, he slowly melted into the earth
And his body became part of the soil and the air

'Now he's where he was supposed to be,' said Diana

Her mother dried her eyes
And put her arms around her daughter
And as they walked into the house
A small stem rose from the earth
With a perfect green leaf on top of it