The Lone Tree: Where Nature Spoke Back

An Accidental Witness

I didn’t set out to write this narration. I was just out on a quiet Sunday nightfall walk—my usual escape when the week feels heavy. I had my phone with me, but no intention of capturing anything.

Then I saw it.

A tree—tall, still, solitary—framed in a light that looked like both a goodbye and a beginning. I took the photo almost without thinking. And then I stood there, longer than I meant to. I watched it holding the space between light and dark. I couldn’t shake the feeling that this tree wasn’t just standing—it was witnessing.

And then, it was no longer just a tree.

(Poetry Interlude): The Witness

Nature has untold stories—only it can tell.

Raw, unfiltered truths behind the norm.

“Oh, it’s night again… oh, here comes the sunrise—”

But what about the witness?

The quiet eye behind it all?

The one we’ll never truly know.

When nature turns poetic,

Everything stands still.

So mysteriously still, in sync—awaiting a glance,

A stare.

So I stared.

And the world whispered.

Keeper of the shift - A Quiet Role

I witnessed the tree taking its shift—faithfully, unpaid, barely recognized.

The night cloaked in—mysterious, yet graceful.

Dark clouds held back just enough light,

as if to give the sky one last honor before its descent.

And there it stood—the tree.

Alone, but not lonely.

Tall. Still. Watching.

A keeper of the shift.

Quietly daring us to ask…

How long has it been doing this?

How long has it held space for the world’s transitions?

This is a shift it performs night after night.

The dim light on the edge shines just enough,

as if to acknowledge the changing of guards.

And when the shift is done, it cloaks out—

But the tree still stands, still watching.

A keeper of secrets:

The breakups that happened beneath its shade,

The birds’ little quarrels,

A silent witness to the human mess and magic—day and night.

A Mirror in Nature

In that moment, I realized everything had a role—

And its role was being seen.

And we react back—oh, it’s getting dark, lights on!.

Recognized —By me. By you. By us.

I was rushing home—it was getting dark.

But something made me pause.

This tree, standing alone with no others near,

But maybe, tonight, it wished to be seen.

It stood still long enough to attract a glance.

I wondered—

How long had it waited to be noticed?

To have its work recognized?

And then, unexpectedly—

I related.

There I was, standing at a distance,

Almost sobbing at a tree.

I bet someone watching from afar thought I was losing it—I thought out loud.

I had taken that walk to clear my head,

My mind spinning with responsibilities,

Exhaustion, disappointment—

Feeling unheard, unseen, crushed by a career

That felt like it had stalled,

Like I was pouring energy into something

That gave back… nothing!.

I felt alone. Unseen.

Everyone around me having progress—recognized.

But then there was the lone tree.

Mysterious.

Steady.

Unmoving, but never stagnant.

I found comfort in it.

Like the tree,

One day—I, too—would be seen.

My work would be recognized.

And even if I stood alone in the field for now,

I was not truly alone. Maybe still—but not stagnant.

—I silently sent a wish—

The Whispers Back

The tree whispered:

“Stand still. Stay strong.

Faithfully take your shift.

Even if no one sees you yet.

Because one day—

You will get a glance.

A stare.

A pause.”

I was beyond words.

Fixated at where I stood.

I just... I just heard nature talk back!

I almost exclaimed so loud.

And I wondered—

How many times do we overlook our surroundings?

How powerful can nature be?

How often does it whisper to our souls without us noticing?

How often do we rush past the very truths meant to comfort us?

Little Signs, Soft Truths- The hidden messages in a glance

—Sometimes it’s the smallest things—

…Mystery or not

Ever just looked up at the sky?

No, really looked?

Like, you see those clouds—cirrus, cumulus, whatever their names are—

Out of nowhere, the clouds form something?

Not just shapes—but something. A cartoon character—oh, it’s Winnie the Pooh!

A heart or a bird in motion. And you're just there like,

“Wait—am I the only one seeing this?”

Like, “Well would you look at that…”

And then you smile. Like a kid.

Like the sky just gave you a tiny inside joke.

Or that full moon—

The one that feels so close, you swear you can see a woman holding a baby in its glow?

You’ve heard the myth. Maybe you never believed it.

But in that moment… you see her.

You pause.

You even blink a few times, just to make sure you’re not imagining things—

But nope, it’s still there.

Funny how that works, right?

You dared to look, and suddenly your soul… softened.

Or maybe it’s a bird, balancing on a power line, just singing into the wind like it knows love.

You glance up, no expectations.

And just like that—you make a wish.

Why? Who knows.

But you did.

Because something in you still believes it matters.

The Pause That Speaks

See?

We do it more often than we admit.

But if you dare to look—

If you dare to pause—

You’ll be surprised

How much the world is trying to talk to you.

Closing the Loop

I walked on.

But that moment stayed with me.

In the stillness of the tree, I saw myself—unmoving, yet alive with quiet purpose.

Nature doesn’t just exist around us; it reflects what we carry within.

Sometimes, when we’re searching for signs,

it simply holds up a mirror—

and waits for us to see ourselves.

Nature has a way of whispering truths

We don’t yet know how to name.

And sometimes…

If you let yourself stare back—

You’ll hear it, too.

Your Turn!

"It's Okay to Pause and Just Observe in the Stillness"

When has nature—or your surroundings—whispered to you, without you realizing it?

Authored by N.K EUNICE - keeper of her on shift!