What doesn’t fit in

I’m admiring this tree, so robust, and so firm, 

Surrounded by these other trees,

 So tall, so thin, so willowy, so pale. 

This one is darker, thicker, browner, 

And clearly started life off kilter, 

Perhaps resisting some fierce and brutal wind, 

But righted itself by reaching out for help 

 With that big branch, which also soon 

 Grew straight and tall… 

And though I appreciate its majesty, I wonder 

If its color or its size, 

So different from the others, 

Make it feel lonely, or ashamed 

Despite its beauty and its power — 

I’m projecting, of course, the values of a culture 

That’s beginning to incarcerate 

All those who don’t fit in…