Today, the Rev. Thomas Schade of Worcester gave a shout-out to two of his parishioners for creating a re-telling of Shel Silverstein’s classic tale of a masochistic co-dependent relationship, The Giving Tree. I once loved The Giving Tree myself, until I came into a feminist awareness that revealed to me that this was the ultimate sentimental re-imagining of how patriarchy really works to dominate and amputate female power and presence (including Mother Nature’s power).
In 2000, I re-wrote The Giving Tree and my version has subsequently been used by Unitarian Universalist congregations all over the country: at least 34 by my count, as that was the last time I counted the requests by colleagues to use it in their worship services. And so my friends, I give you, “The Demanding Tree,” by Victoria Weinstein.Please share with attribution.*
*Amazing illustrations for “The Demanding Tree” were created by Jessica Alexander at the time, and I hope to be able to find and scan them soon.
The Demanding Tree , by the Rev. Dr. Victoria Weinstein, April 2000
(revised January 2003)
With apologies to Shel Silverstein…
Once there was a tree. And she loved a little boy.
And every day the boy would come, and he would gather her leaves
and make them into crowns and play king of the forest.
And the tree loved the little boy, but the tree was a bit irritated. “King of the forest, my trunk,” she thought. “Wherever did those human beings get such an attitude problem?”
Time went by, and the boy grew older, and the tree was often alone, which was nice and quiet, but she missed the boy.
Then one day the boy came to the tree and the tree called out to him, “Come, Boy, come and climb up my trunk and swing from my branches and eat my apples and play in my shade and be happy.”
“I am too big to climb and play,” said the boy. I want to buy things and have fun. I want some money. Can you give me some money?”
“No chance,” said the tree. “I have only leaves and apples. Why don’t you go get a job if money’s so important to you? I hear that the Nature Conservancy is looking for clerical staff. Why don’t you apply?”
