THE OAK AND THE ROSE Fable

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There once was a very old Oak.  Nobody knew his age.
Even the Oak did not know it for sure.
He had worn some of his wrinkles for more than 200 years;
they were hard memories of storms and wars.
His only friend, the old Pond,
who had been so pure and full of fish and joy, was dying. 
And the Oak became tired of listening to him complain about life,
and the weather, and frogs.
“These ponds become bogs so easily,” Oak thought to himself,
and gave a deep sigh.

Oak was sad because he had no one to talk to.
“I could talk to Magpie, but she is so noisy and stupid,” he thought.
The rabbits and squirrels were always very busy
and they were only interested in his acorns. 
Oak had plenty of them,
and it was his nature to share everything he had.
And he had so much to share. 
So many thoughts, and feelings, and so much love.

When the spring came,
he broke into thousands of young, fresh leaves as usual.
In awe of life itself, Oak thought,
“If there is anything I am here for, it’s love.”
But there was nobody around him to love. 
And so the spring came and went without event.
He spent the summer and autumn in boredom,
and fell asleep in the winter,
merely to wake up in the spring.
 
*        *        *

And then one morning he awoke with a strange feeling. 
“This will be an unusual day,” he thought as he looked around.
This feeling of curiosity grew; then turned into amazement.
There, scarcely visible between two of his huge roots,
a delicate, pink flower was making a home.

“Who are you?”
“Hi. I’m Rose.  Who are you?”  And then she smiled.
“Where did you come from?’ asked the Oak,
who was so exited he could hardly breathe.
“From the earth,” replied Rose.
“Unbelievable.  You must have come from another planet.”
“You are so funny,” said Rose.
“You are so sweet,” said Oak.

Rose smiled again.
It was her nature to smile, and to be sweet.
“He is a very unusual tree,” she thought to herself.
“Want an acorn?” asked Oak.
“No, thank you. I do not eat acorns. 
Some sun and rain is enough for me.”

“How unusual,” said Oak.  “You do not want my acorns,
but yet you talk to me.” 
“What is so unusual?  You don’t eat them either!” said Rose.
“Right you are,” replied Oak. 
“The sun and the rain are all I need.”

“And love,” added Rose. 
“Sun and rain and love are all we need to grow.”
“How true,” thought Oak of this sentiment
he had never expressed aloud.
Yes, this tiny and sweet creature surely came
from some other planet.

So, Oak and Rose shared their thoughts and feelings.
Oak, mighty and generous; Rose, tiny and sweet.
And every day, from sunrise to sunset,
their admiration for each other grew.
 
*        *        *

Late that summer, Oak asked, “What happens if we fall in love?
It could be very serious; even dangerous.”
“Fall?  Let’s don’t fall in love.  Let’s just be in love,” said Rose.
“And let it always be summer; I don’t want to think about fall.”

But fall was coming! 
Oak had not noticed the first cold breath of fall.
He had not noticed that the other trees
were turning yellow and red.
All he knew was summer. All he saw was Rose.
All he heard was her tender voice.
All he thought about was love.

“What are you thinking about?” he asked.
Rose echoed his thoughts, “About love,” she said.
“I think about how warm and cozy it is here;
and how safe I am under your branches.”
“Of course; let’s don’t think about fall any more.”

But the fall came. 
And the winter brought its snow and cold winds.
The Pond froze over.  The forest was silent.
Yet, Rose still blossomed
under Oak’s green and cozy branches.

In these two loving hearts, the summer was forever.
They did not think about the fall.  And they did not fall.




The End