The Barren Tree
Updated: Aug 20, 2021
By, Wendiann Alfieri
Her mother was making dinner
Her father outside by the pool
Her mouth was talking loudly
As she gossiped on the phone about school
Her lips were smacking together
After a layer of chapstick she applied
When her mother shouted, “ Dinner!”
And she headed for inside
Her dad was eating string beans
Her mother with a glass of wine
As they ask their daughter if she likes dinner
And she replies “ Fine”
Her mother looks at her father
As he cautiously asks about her day at school
When she snaps back
“ What’s the matter? As far as I’m concerned this isn’t school”
Her mother speaks up loudly
And more determined now
To ask her about Jason
And how she turned him down
Their daughters eyes flashed
With rage and envy
A flame of ugly green
“ how do you know about that? I did what I had to do. That asshole had it coming. He’s too stupid to be in school”
Her mother snaps that’s not how she raised her
To videotape her friend dumping water on his head
While she pretended she liked him
And all the school laughed at his expense
“ mom who cares, he was annoying and cruel. He totally ignored my friend when she said hi to him in middle school”
Her mother says that’s not the point and don’t try to make an excuse
The video had been online
Before being taken down
by now all of the school knew
The daughters eyes turned downward in a brief look of shame
she got angry
Because of course herself she thought
Was not the one to be blamed
“ Mom that boy is disgusting, of whom I will never again speak. In fact I’m done with this conversation,”
And she got up to leave
Her father shouted after her
That to her mom she should not speak that way
And her mother said “ Jim, leave it. I wish she knew what it would be like just to not be able to chat,”
Her father agreed
And went back to his green beans
And the mother was thinking as she sat.
A sip of wine was needed
And she picked up her glass
Yes tomorrow her daughter will know
That she’s not going to let her be a bully
She didn’t raise her like that
As the mother cleaned the dishes
the father was helping too
The mother continued to think
Then knew what she had to do
The next day the daughter rose
From a dream so weird and daft
She got up to use the bathroom brush her teeth and comb her hair
When her lips had gotten stuck together
opening them wasn’t an option
she looked at the mirror and saw
She couldn’t speak or open them at all
she tried to cry out she saw
The more she tried and clawed
Her lips were stuck together
even her throat felt raw
She ran downstairs for breakfast
And saw no one was there
No chairs pulled out or even a smell
Of breakfast in the air
She felt so thirsty and turned on the tap
ran her lips under it
She tried opening her mouth to drink
still had no luck
She grabbed her bag and caught the bus
sat in the front this day
Yelling at kids from the back
She Could not be in that position today
Until her friend came on the bus
though she looked away
The friend had noticed her
And smiled and said “ Hey!”
Of course the girl couldn’t answer
Her voice she just had lost
her friend knew no better
assumed she was just in a mood
more and more people on the bus questioned
The lack of voice and taunts
From the most popular girl in school
they bustled off the bus and rushed into school
The girl regretted going
On the bus today
She wanted to stay
the driver wouldn’t allow it
They had places to drive and be
So off the Queen went
To try not to be shamed from her throne
she walked the halls
people saw
Her sharp tongue had been lost
Her lovely friends and enemies
Turned on her quick and showed
they made fun of her all day
Realizing they could tear her down they did
No matter how popular she was
She learned as the day wore on
All her friends are vultures
Just Waiting to pick her apart
to have their revenge set
No matter if they broke the Queens Heart
She couldn’t say anything mean to them
So now for her role they could start
It was mostly whispers in the hall
About how she was never a good human at all
All yesterday when people laughed at her target with her
Today they were laughing at her
Sharp words like knives
She wished they would open her lips
No matter the blood they would spill
When lunch came around she sat alone
A heartless character on a broken throne
When her best friend stood up to say
Today was the day she would ditch her away
Her best friend was fueled with anger
Because now the queen couldn’t speak
She could let the queen know
The hate will no longer in her veins sleep
Her friend was laughing and saying how low she was worth
the queens harmful words could no longer hurt
So the queens so called friend pushed her in a corner
called the queen a bitch
even tho they were victims of the queens rage
They still had no issue
With competing for her stage
in her eye the friend then socked her
When another girl in the corner
Small and really meek
Stood up from her table
in front of the queen she walked
Before any other punches were thrown
As the friends who turned their backs on the queen
Saw this girl and started to giggle
About how look queen, your defender is a laugh
Until a girl outside the cafe walked in and now joined
The small and meek girl
Standing in front of a fallen queen
Who had put them through shit
they knew if they didn’t do something
They couldn’t live with it
As another two people stood up and defended the queen in her literal corner
one boy came over and saw her bleeding eye
he asked her if she was alright
The fallen queens old friends
They were ready to fight and enjoy being the torturers
Till the boy Jason stood up and walked over as the girls laughed
Pathetic they said, also to Jason
As he and the group
Of the queens victims
Helped escort her out
Their faces like stone
They’d always been cast out
And to the nurse they went
Even though followed by laughter hoots and shouts
The queen was still bleeding
she still could not use her mouth
They assumed that she was too embarrassed to be grateful
that was far from true
Some people can be saved but still be cowards in a moment or two
no matter what she tried to do
She couldn’t speak up to them
And thank them for what they did
The nurse patched up her eye
And the girl went home
Crying on her bed
alone she could open her mouth
to pity herself
When her parents came from work and started to make dinner
The mother wondered
About her plan
And as they all sat down
The mom looked concerned
And saw her daughters eye that was hurt
the mother was confused
Her plan had been yet put in action
Until the doorbell rang and in walked Jason
With a flower in his hand
This was the mother’s plan
She knew her daughter was a bully
she’d also seen
All the writings of her daughters dreams
She loved this boy as they used to be friends
Until the queen met and rose
Above with fake friends
And the mother had told her daughter and tried several times
Telling her she needs to close her mouth and open her eyes
Her daughter was cruel
Even though she was raised right
Some people in this world could still be mean and would fight with it
Pushing others away
The mother knew
She had been the same way
Jason walked in the queen opened her mouth
And continued crying like before
Just as loud
Her mouth was open and now realizing her mistakes, she felt overwhelmed with shame
earlier those tears were self pity rain
she was still human
And wasn’t all stone
As the candle on the table melted
She relinquished all of her old thrones
And jumped up and hugged this boy
She missed him and held him
And also felt joy and of course guilt
As the boy sat down
And the mother was concerned
About her daughters eye
Her daughter sat and was thinking
Maybe her life didn’t have to keep sinking
Jealousy and envy and power corrupts
after the dam is broken
It lets out the love
She told her mom all that had happened
And that she was sorry
And always had been
And her and Jason talked through the night
And the next day they started dating
And he was the light of her life
And after seven years of being together
The queen contacted her old friend
It was time to grow up and make amends
After hours of tears and pleas of forgiveness
She got to know the layers of the friend she had only known
Through layers of jealousy and anger between them two from the past
They set things aside
a true friendship founded
The queen had forgiven herself
hoped others had as well
But sometimes even after you’ve fixed your fate
Karma can arise
A little too late
the queen and Jason married
had three children of their own
Jason and the queens friend
stabbed the queen without care
As the queen found out about their affair
Things change and they don’t
Some workout
Some won’t
bitterness sometimes leaves seeds
For old hatred and hurt grows the barren tree
Just empty branches
stubborn roots
The barren tree though it has nothing to hide
Resentment still stays inside