Inspired by a Chinese Poem ." To the Oak Tree" By Shu Ting .
If I love you -- I will never be a clinging trumpet creeper Using your high boughs to show off my height If I love you -- I will never be a spoony bird Repeating a monotonous song for green shade Or be a spring. Bringing cool solace all year long. Or be a steep peak Increasing your stature, reflecting your eminence. Even the sunlight. Even the spring rain No, all these are not enough I must be a ceiba tree beside you. Be the image of a tree standing together with you. Our roots, entwined underground Our leaves, touching in the clouds. With each gust of wind. We greet each other. But nobody. Can understand our words. You'll have your copper branches and iron trunk Like knives, like swords, like halberds, too I'll have my crimson flowers Like heavy sighs And valiant torches We'll share cold spells, storms and thunder We'll share mists, hazes, and rainbows. Seemingly always apart But also forever interdependent. Only this can be a great love. The loyalty is here Love -- I love not only your strapping stature But also your firm stand, the earth beneath you