Poem: The Honesty Leaf

Long ago, when I was ten,
We had a family outing
Somewhere…

Exactly where, I can’t recall.
Just a large field surrounded by trees
Where a twisted stinging nettle
Stung my little brother’s knee.

He tried to sniffle the pain away,
And looked up at me with a tear-stained face,
Wondering: why today of all days…
Of all days, of all days?

So,
Armed with the little knowledge I knew,
I danced around the undergrowth
In search of bitter dock.

Pulling up weeds,
Dodging puddles…
I foraged hard, until
There it was.

Shining up at me
On the dark brown Earth;
Perfectly formed and papery thin;
An Honesty Leaf.

I’d not seen anything quite like it before.
And while crouched on the ground,
I gazed at it in the palm of my hand,
Simply trying to understand
What it was.

Stowing it safely in my pocket,
I found the dock, and took it
Back to my brother to make him better.

It worked,
But then we had to go.
The journey home was slow,
Was slow.

Though,
This memory rings within my mind,
The day I’d had such a terrific find.

I’ve kept it safe for all these years
Within a box full of chandeliers…

The one that also ended in tears.

Nevermind,
Everything has its place.
We learn and grow
From good and bad;
An unending game of chase.

Only one lesson our soul did choose,
Unique to us,
Our solitary muse,

Of hope, honesty, and truth.

My little leaf has taught me well,
One of nature’s prettiest,
For sixteen years it’s been my friend
Forevermore will it descend,
Through the generations
Like an heirloom.

More precious than gold or silver,
Or any fancy thing.
Mother Nature has all we need
Growing beneath her wings.

by Sylvia Villa (2023)

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My Honesty Leaf

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