The story of a reed

There was once a reed
A small, wispish one
That grew one summer
In the light and breeze of love and life
Fed by friendship and fun
It grew day and night without a worry.

Then came a harsh winter
That chilled the reed to the bone
Its growth stalled
And it quivered against the winds
But it still continued to grow
In the hope of the next summer

Next summer came
But it was a cool one
And the light was dimmed
Starving the reed of its life
The breezes stopped
And the reed didn't know why

The reed held on
Despite cool summers and cold winters
With minimal light and breeze
Despite the surrounding weeds
That competed for whatever light was left
For now,
It was no longer just that reed
But a couple of weeds as well

Then came a point
Where the reed's life energy is no more enough
To keep it going
Despite the lack of light and breeze
It drew from within its depths
But it still wasn't enough.

The death knell sounded
In the form of a slip and trip
Now the reed lays broken
Despite the folklore that reeds never break.
Amen!

Some say the reed was never there to start
Some say the reed was already gone
Some say the reed is still present
But I, the creator says
The reed was there and it is gone now
But I wish the reed was alive
For it was fun with the reed,
And the reed is no more.

There might come another reed
With the same soil and same seed
It might even grow to a shoot
And maybe even a giant tree
But it is still another reed
And never this particular one.

I sadly mourn this one
And pine for it at times
But realize that whatever I plan,
There is a Creator above me that plans as well.

Here lies a reed,
A fun one that added value to life.
May it rest in peace,
While we live with its remains in this world.

I shudder to look at the empty space it created
In the soil and the forest
But not sure if anyone else will miss it
For this was a teeny, tiny reed.

As Nature's laws go,
This empty space will be reclaimed
And put to use for something else
Not sure what will reclaim it
Nor what it will become in future
But somewhere in this space,
Lies a reed's life story.