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The

Oak Tree

A short tale of gratitude written by Matt Moser-Clark and illustrated by George O'Shaughnessy

                                                                 Dedicated to those who wish to find peace



I wrote this poem last year, when an oak tree in my parents’ garden had come to the end of its life and was ready to be felled. It wasn’t an old tree, maybe 30 years or so, yet I had shared much of my time on this planet with that single solitary fellow.

I have been incredibly lucky in my life. I have travelled, wished, dreamt, cried, lost, hoped and been dismayed. Yet in all that time the tree sat in the corner of the garden rooted to its place, watching the world go by and simply, being a tree.  

I cannot pretend that this particular tree was unique to me; I did not spend my days nurturing the soil around its roots, shading in its bower or making sure it had water in times of drought. Yet in these unusual times, when the world is changed and we may feel uncertain of the future, I wonder if we may look to the nature of such a tree and learn from its stillness.

I believe in stillness, and that through stillness comes peace.

I believe in gratitude, and that through gratitude comes love.

For in a time when we may feel separated from who we are, may we also remember that in every acorn there is an oak tree, quietly waiting. So please send the story to those who you feel would enjoy it, as this is a time of giving what we can, to make the experience of others just that little bit easier.

 


                                                                                         Thank you

                                                                                             Matt

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Story Palace

Story Palace brings together writers, artists and performers to create new content audio stories for children.


Every element of every story is donated, from the text to the performance to the illustrations and the music, to the blending of all these elements to produce a finished audio piece.


Story Palace is built out of love; love for stories, for communication and for kindness, love for those who know in their hearts that imagination is what makes us human, what connects us with others and what will carry us through. It came out of a conversation between three organisations, all of whom share the same vision, Oxfordshire Kindness Wave, Ark-T and Novel Entertainment.

 

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Story palace has kindly turned The Oak Tree into an audio book which is available on YouTube via the link below.

If you enjoy the story and feel you are able to, please donate £2 to Ark-t, an arts charity who use the powers of Creativity and Human Connection to change lives and inspire community driven social change in and around Oxford, UK.

 

In responses to Covid19 the Ark T Team are working collectively with partners to support the many children, young people and families within the community; providing food, social and emotional well-being support throughout the pandemic.

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