Willow
A willow tree stood proud and tall, roots deep within the soil.
Unyielding in her strength and will, through daily strain and toil.
One day the clouds up overhead turned dark as they rolled by.
A vicious storm came roaring through - rain thrashing from the sky.
It beat her ‘til her limbs were broke; her leaves were all but gone.
It forced her down and held her there, until the storm moved on.
Here now, she stands with grace and poise as time moves slowly by.
Her limbs, they grow with leaves anew; she holds her branches high.
And whilst she’ll never be the same, she steels her roots once more.
For she survived the storm and now, she’s stronger than before.
By Elisabeth Sophia
Our beautiful picture book, Willow was originally written as a poem about a year after my mum died. A year that proved to be one of the hardest of my life.
I wanted to capture the gentle rebuilding of a broken spirit. The courage and resilience we all find in order to push through and rebuild in our darkest times, no matter what they are. To give ourselves grace to grieve or find acceptance, whilst still noticing parts of us slowly and gently coming to life again.
And so this little poem was born.
I decided to soften some of the words and turn it into a children's picture book because of its message of resilience in the face of adversity - a message I believe is so important for children.
But I also wanted to keep the poem in its original form for teenagers and adults because Willow is all of us. We have all been through times in our lives where we were really brought to our knees and didn't know how to get back up again. And we will again.
But Willow reminds us that it's not that we fall and we break. It's that we stand again, slowly rebuild, and are stronger for all we have been through.
- Willow - a poem written by Elisabeth Sophia & original artwork by Anita Bagdi
- Printed on premium A5 card
- Packaged with high quality backing board and clear sealed bags
*Free shipping