my mom talks about the majesty of trees. their strength, the way they stand tall. all my life i’ve wanted to be a redwood, and all my life i’ve puffed out my chest trying to be one. but today i found out that salicylic acid is used as a pain reliever — and that it comes from the bark of a weeping willow tree. softheartedness is often a weight. i know this. but humans can be hard to understand. they notice her delicately low-hanging branches, but never her imperishable trunk.

why must the willow tree always be weeping?