The Family Tree
Father, Mother, Sister, Brother,
Let us care for one another.
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Never to leave, but only to cleave.
For this, dear child, is the family tree.
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Its branches we will never depart.
For family alone belongs in our hearts.
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Father, ask and I will do.
It does not matter whether it’s true.
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Mother, I will not rebel.
Even if my obedience damns me to hell.
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Sister, “what is truth?” we say,
Lest it exact our souls to pay.
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Brother, I will always be by your side.
Therefore, let us affirm the lie.
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Mother’s womb knit us together,
And our bonds no sword could sever.
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Look! The City’s water begins to flow.
Now our family tree can flourish and grow.
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Time has passed and branches are swaying,
The wind blows and our leaves are playing.
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Look! Our neighbor has denied the lies our leaders cast.
His family will suffer and ours will last.
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The family whispers: “We support you, neighbor”
While they affirm his fall from public favor.
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Another Man comes their way.
Curious, they listen to what He has to say.
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His eyes were somber and He was not what He seemed.
“Tell us, Man of Sorrows, why have you come to our family tree?”
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The Man questioned: “Who planted this tree? “
But no one could utter “it was me.”
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Firmly He spoke, “I will tell you who planted this tree.
for you would be nothing if it were not for me.”
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“This tree was a gift that I had granted,
And I have come to see if you’ve recanted.”
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The Man continued: “Your love for each other is unending.
But to the State your wills have been bending.”
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The father responded first.
“Sir, our leader is the worst.
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“Yes, he asks us to affirm a lie or two.
And we only complied a little to sneak through.”
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The mother was next, her words were like fire.
“Yes, we hid from the truth, but our times were quite dire.”
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Then the sister began in her own skeptical way.
“Was it such a big deal that we let our conscience stray?”
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Last of all came forward the son.
“I know why you’re here, for hypocrites we’ve become.”
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“We are blind; no longer can we see.
Too many times, we denied simple truths like 1 + 2 = 3.”
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The man and the boy’s eyes did not wander.
The son continued aloud with his ponder.
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“We believed that because a truth appeared small
That there was no harm in denying it after all.”
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“We believed it was nothing for we had not denied you.
But with each little step we darkened your Truth.”
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“Immersed in the darkness, we did not know
That it was your truths that made our tree grow.”
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The Man opened his mouth and broke the silence.
But the words He would speak contained no violence.
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“You did not deny me, it is true,
But the truths you denied weren’t for me, they were for you.”
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“I planted you not for yourselves, but for me.
And your denial of these truths has rotted your tree.”
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“For you have forgotten that at the planting of this tree,
One day it would be fashioned into crosses to carry for me. “
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“What do you mean! That cannot be so.
After all, what does it matter if papers we show!”
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The Man, without a word, took his axe to the trunk.
And with one swipe the tree fell with a thunk.
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He carefully crafted their crosses one by one.
The time for them to carry their burdens had come.
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They all exchanged looks with each other.
All of them there, Father, Mother, Sister, Brother.
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They finally arrived at the destination.
But most of them were filled with frustration.
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He had said His burden was light,
And in order to get here they had quite the fight!
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One by one, their crosses they set down.
But to their surprise, all but one settled like dust to the ground.
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The one cross that remained in its stand
Was the cross from the child they never could understand.
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“Why didn’t his turn to dust!” the family objected.
The boy cried out “Have mercy on me! For your truths I’ve neglected”.
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The Man slowly removed His gloves.
Revealing to all the scars of love.
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“I will not ask you to attempt what has already been finished.
For my sacrifice cannot be bettered or diminished.”
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The Man took the boy’s cross and it was revealed
That upon the boy’s confession, his portion of the tree had been healed.
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“What is the meaning of this?! Is he not as guilty as we?
What was it that he saw that we could not see?”
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The Man continued: “You were not liars or thieves,
You were merely cowards who said you believed.”
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“I saw in your hearts from the moment I spoke,
But it was only this boy’s heart that my words broke.”
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“As he suffered under my words, a piece of his heart died.
And with it the idolatry of his family pride.”
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“The truth in his confession predicted his lot.
But it also treated his portion which his lies had filled with rot.”
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“To be trusted with much does not start with a burden too heavy.
You must practice with the small truths in order to become ready.”
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“But his cross was heavier than all the others.
Truth is a heavy burden and the body it sunders.”
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“Do you remember what it costs to follow me?
You must not just deny yourself, but also your family.”
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“Let me say it again for good measure.
So that in your heart you may hold on to this treasure.”
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“What must you do in order to be part of me?
You must deny yourself, as well as your family tree.”
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Thank you for reading. This poem was inspired by Christ’s words in Matthew 16:34-39 and the division of families as depicted by the great Russian authors. Rather than an argument from metaphysics or logic, sometimes artistic expression is the appropriate tool to depict these dilemmas and their answers. To be sure, those philosophical elements are implied; they are the “quiet part” of the poem. For articles that delve into the deeper questions of conscience and truth, I encourage you to read our series on conscience and our articles inspired by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn.
Thank you for reading, and #KeepThinking.