I loved them, but they came in unforeseen
And I was sown in sacrifice and blood
So granted, when these fledglings intervened
Resentment tainted what I’d claimed as love.

Their very essence far eclipsed my own
They blossomed in the fissures of my trunk -
They weighed upon my roots like shackles, stones,
then seemed surprised to find that I had shrunk.

They thrived upon my desecrated flesh;
My narcissistic beauty was outshined -
And in their graceless presence, I regressed
As though my heart was of their own design.

I loved them, for we sprang from common seed
But I was made far smaller in their greed.