The Roots and Leaves of the Chestnut Tree
By Cara Margate
As we stand under the enormous chesnut tree
My heart and mind are a tug of war, restless and unfree
My mind is the roots, as it tries to take control
My values are buried deep, but is that my whole
Story because there’s more to just my mind
As my emotions stir out, my heart I find
My heart is the leaves, unpredictable as they grow
Different shades and colors in the wind they flow
Yet they are still attached to the branches and the roots
Can the leaves escape, or will they refute
With Mr. Rochester, he speaks of our end
He says with haste “Come little friend,
As I marry Blanche, you must move on
Find a new home, a new journey to be upon
Teach in Ireland and say to me goodbye”
But if I’m just a little friend, maybe I should fly
Away to Ireland, no I can’t
Because I’m not just his experimental plant
And if I leave our cord will snap
We would lose our love, it would all be a scrap
Should I confess my love and share my truth
What to do, I’m still in my youth
Should I leave or abide to my master
My mind goes away as my heart beats faster
I look up at the chestnut tree, look ahead
But something catches my eye instead
At the top of the tree, the red leaf breaks free from the branch
Released from the roots, finally free from the trance
As it falls it is free, free, free.
As it hits the ground, my heart is now me.
“I am not just a machine to be controlled
My emotions are strong, and I will not be told That we are unequal and you are higher
Because if my wealth and beauty weren’t so dire God would consider us equal and the same
You wouldn’t be able to let me go you wouldn’t have shame
So I am leaving to Ireland, away from you
And leaving you with Blanche, your wife to pursue”
I speak these words not from spite but from love that is free
I won’t be his little project, I am my own person, he will see
But then he says
“No, not Blanche our love isn’t real You and I, now that is what I feel”
Then suddenly he gets down on one knee
And he proposes to me, underneath the chestnut tree.
I say yes, quickly, my heart not consulting my mind
And I forget about how our differences are easy to find
We share lots of I love you’s, laughs, and lips
But when we leave, the chestnut tree tips
Just where we were sitting, lighting splits it apart
Roots buried, leaves scattered, like a shattered heart
I am in terrible shock of the ruins of my dear chestnut tree
Is is unfortunate that the tree represented longevity?
Author’s Note
My poem, The Roots and Leaves of the Chestnut Tree, draws inspiration from the scene in the novel, Jane Eyre, where Charlotte Bronte uses nature to represent the complex emotional struggles of love, freedom, and worth. Through this poem, I explore the relationship between the chestnut tree’s roots representing Jane’s mind to the tree’s leaves representing her heart. The roots, which is stable and dependable show the human trait of being steady and well thought through, while the leaves show a more whimsical side of humans, and elaborate on the sense of personal freedom and the natural yearning of true love. This prompt allowed me to further explore the significance of nature in Jane Eyre, where I use imagery and personification to capture the parallels between nature and a human’s mind and emotions. I hope this poem invites readers to find the meaning between the trees on our earth and take a minute to regard the roots and leaves around them.
