What's Happening?

By Ellen, Waterloo

I feel small, weak. Once I was a majestic, strong oak, but now I feel my strength draining away, to where, I don't know. What's happening?

My brothers and sisters have disappeared over time. For some, it was inevitable. However, others I lost through the sharp blades of those who enter my home, destroy those I love. Sometimes they stay there, building them into a sturdy structure, and I weep. I weep far more, though, when my brothers and sisters, weakened by the fumes that enter the earth, are left to die on the ground until they rot away, wasted. What's happening?

The ones who enter this forest are loud; when I first heard them, they shook me to my core. I was frightened, but I believed they would tire of the woods eventually. Instead, they settle close to me; bright lights that outshine even the sun but produce no warmth are shining constantly. They spray strong chemicals that burn the ground I seek nourishment from. What's happening?

I can't help but feel angry. What right do they have, stealing what is mine? When I feel this fury, though, all I can do is remember the ones who care. The ones who create more of my kind, who seem curious about my aged wood. The small ones, who run around and around, making me dizzy. How can the cruel ones exist when so many are kind? What's happening?

As I rest, I wonder. I wonder why the rain burns now. I wonder what will happen to my kin around the world. I wonder if the other kind enter only my home, or others' too. I wonder if I too will be destroyed. Most of all, I wonder if this will ever change. What's happening?

At first, I didn't notice the changes. Now, they're all I think about. The way the weather became far more irregular over the years, how the small creatures I used to feed have gone. How my leaves have become just the slightest bit smaller. It terrifies me, not knowing what's happening, even while it makes me deteriorate in a million different ways. What's happening?

I still feel small, weak. Once I was a majestic, strong oak, but now I feel my strength draining away, to where, I don't know. Why, I don't know. Will no one save me? Am I truly alone? What's happening?