"How the First Tree Was Born"
Draft #1
Written Pre-Citadel. Displayed in Vault on 12/03/2022
The first of the blades of grass,
Though small in stature,
Was proud to be a blade of grass.
The second of the blades of grass,
Though small in stature,
Was shorter than the first,
And so grew jealous at being second.
So, it swallowed up more sun,
And plastered its sides,
Reaching higher than the first,
Who was still content.
The second then outstretched,
Its newfound leaves stealing
All light the first one needed,
Killing it out of jealousy.
Draft #2
Written Pre-Citadel. Never Displayed in Vault.
After the ground lay settled with the soil at ease
It was decided to make the land petalled,
And so they planted grass to sway in the breeze
Gifting some flowers to show as they pleased.
But amongst those whom were not gifted so
One grew jealous; tall it did grow as well,
Until it partook of the clouds, and its shade it did throw
Over all others, sounding forth their death knell.
In the spring it did steal all their petals,
It’s hardened branches budding forth
So that it was the most beautiful of all nettles
Across all of the realms of the Earth.
But it was seen what the tree had done,
And so in Winter it was stripped dead,
Made in a manner in which flowers there were none
But not before that murderous line had spread.
Draft #3
Written Pre-Citadel. Never Displayed in Vault.
The first seeds sprouted the first blades of grass, which bended at the request of the wind.
Though short they are when we look at them now,
The blades of grass did not know that they were small —
They knew only to be proud, until the second of them learned something new: jealousy.
And so the second blade of grass grew its stem stronger and straighter, its skin turning brown as it desperately climbed for nourishment to sate its rapid unsustained green growth.
Once it was tall enough, it outstretched its top, hiding the Sun —
killing the first blade of grass.
For such a natural crime, the last of the Four Seasons took to Earth and soundly
punished the tree. Yet, the other Seasons did not wish their green to be forever gone, their flowers forever unbloomed, their colors forever unshoned; so they humbled that first tree, humbling back to a blade of grass after it endured righteousness. But its seeds had lain dormant, and though soon the world was returned to lush meadows, the trees did return, plummeting upwards to follow that vengeful path. The Seasons though, did allow such an act, and their existence, treacherous at first, was decided the last of winter’s punishment: the children of that murderous second blade shall forever block out the Sun from the grass, shall forever choke out the light as it once did. Retribution would be earned.
The first seeds sprouted the first blades of grass,
which bent at the request of the wind.
Though short they are when we look at them now,
The blades of grass did not know that they were
small —
They knew only to be proud, until the second of
them learned something new: jealousy.
And so the second blade of grass grew its stem
stronger and straighter, its skin turning brown as it desperately climbed for nourishment to sate its rapid unsustained green growth.
Once it was tall enough, it outstretched its top,
hiding the Sun —
killing the first blade of grass.
For such a natural crime, the last of the Four Seasons
took to Earth and soundly punished the tree. Yet, the other Seasons did not wish their green to be forever gone, their flowers forever unbloomed, their colors forever unshoned; so they humbled that first tree, humbling back to a blade of grass after it endured righteousness. But its seeds had lain dormant, and though soon the world was returned to lush meadows, the trees did return, plummeting upwards to follow that vengeful path. The Seasons though did allow such an act, and their existence, treacherous at first, was decided the last of winter’s punishment: the children of that murderous second blade shall forever block out the Sun from the grass, shall forever choke out the light as it once did. Retribution would be earned.
Notes on “How the First Tree Was Born”
“How the First Tree Was Born” was written sometime before the Citadel was established. It was explicitly written for Creationism: The Delight of Design (then simply called Creationism). It was in Of Bugs and Tyrants for a brief amount of time before ultimately being placed back within Creationism: The Delight of Design. It was subtitled (Cain and Abel), however that was dropped before the first draft was even finished: it didn’t, and still doesn’t feel like that needs to be stated.
There are two additional drafts of “How the First Tree Was Born” written after the first, however the first is still the one displayed as the elements these drafts explore within the poem (stanzas, elongation, rhyme, punishment) do not in my interpretation add to the story of the poem better than in the first.
Even though ultimately the first draft remains as the preferred poem under this name, I do feel it is important to show these attempts to emphasize that poetry is a process, and that exploration is worth considering.