The Man in the Tree

the man in the tree calls out to me,

but i pretend not to see him.

other people stop to talk to him, gawk at how high up he is, some even try to photograph him,

but i keep on walking.

every day on my way to school he tries to talk to me,

but i keep my eyes to the ground.

if i don’t look up at him, maybe he will stop trying to reach me,

but the man in the tree is relentless.

my parents tell me to take him some food,

‘he may be hungry up in the tree.

he’ll be down someday, and he’ll reward us for our sacrifices.’

but i always eat what they give me before i reach the tree,

so i have nothing to give him.

but the man in the tree does not care.

he keeps calling my name,

trying and failing to get my attention.

i hope he stops one day.

i hope he falls out of the tree and leaves me alone,

then people can stop talking about him all the time

and i can finally stop imagining what it would be like if i climbed the tree with him.

photos by aviva channells. model: anastasia parker.