Bark Scar

A sudden gust, a sky turned grey.

Sent kids scrambling up to play.

I watched them go, a sudden pull,

to heights that once made me feel full.

That oak, its bark a rough embrace,

held secrets of a younger space.

I remember reaching, limb by limb,

to stand where sunlight touched the brim.

My elbow met a branch so hard,

a jagged scratch, a skin-scarred guard.

A small price paid for that high view,

a freedom that I once knew.

Now grounded, watching them ascend,

that old, sharp memory, my friend.

The scar still aches, a phantom sting,

for that last time I climbed a tree thing.