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Poem: Branches of the Willow

by Courtney Burk July 24, 2023July 19, 2024

I inherited a green thumb,
dormant in the years of youth
and I’ve only just begun
listening to the exhale
of the weeping willows.
A gentle knowing
of stillness that existed
long before,
an influence of the earth.
Resilience —
passed down through generations,
the gentleness of swaying.
To bend,
but never break.

Planet Detroit and Room Project partnered to curate and publish climate poems from our community. Read the rest of the poems here.

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Tagged: water infrastructure

Courtney Burk

Courtney Burk is a writer whose work primarily focuses on the hospitality industry across metro Detroit. Being a restaurant kid, she found her love of storytelling through food and the narratives of those within the industry. When she's not writing, she can be found in the garden, working on new projects with her husband, and enjoying the Great Lakes with her rescue mutts. Visit yeahnoforsure.co to check out her work.

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Poem: Branches of the Willow

by Courtney Burk, Planet Detroit
July 24, 2023

					<h1>Poem: Branches of the Willow</h1>
<p class="byline">by Courtney Burk, Planet Detroit <br />July 24, 2023</p>
					<br />
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://planetdetroit.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/pexels-elena-elizarova-10625725-1024x682.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-6933" /></figure>
<p class="">I inherited a green thumb,<br />dormant in the years of youth<br />and I’ve only just begun<br />listening to the exhale<br />of the weeping willows.<br />A gentle knowing<br />of stillness that existed<br />long before,<br />an influence of the earth.<br />Resilience —<br />passed down through generations,<br />the gentleness of swaying.<br />To bend,<br />but never break.</p>
<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />
<p class=""><em>Planet Detroit and Room Project partnered to curate and publish climate poems from our community. Read the rest of the poems <a href="https://planetdetroit.org/deep-dive/climate-poems/">here</a>.</em></p>

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Courtney Burk