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Extraordinary little tree (Verbal forms) - English lesson

                                    A  STORY OF HEALING ...

On September, 11th 2001 ('09/11'), about 3,000 people died in the collapse of the Pentagon and the destructions of the Twin Towers (World Trade Center).

After stupefaction, and many attempts to save who and what could be saved ... this place of  Horror had to be cleaned, purified, so that the unbearable grief could start if not to be appeased, at least to decrease and give room to Hope and LIFE again ...

Finally, after years of reflections, research, and work, 'The MEMORIAL REFLECTING ABSENCE' by architect Michael Arad and landscape architect Peter Walker was conceived and opened to the public.

Two square-shaped pools, one acre each, were built, within the footprints of the destroyed towers. Waterfalls are streaming down their brinks, and on their bronze edges are carved the names of the thousands of victims ...

Hundreds of trees have been added to the initial project to make it less austere, less grey, less sad ...

Why so many trees? Because in the great Cycle of Life, Season after Season, the hundred and twenty oak-trees and a Special Pear tree will represent death in Fall (Autumn,) and Revival in the following Spring. This 8-foot tall tree in 2001, is now almost 30-foot high !

Here is its story ... You'll see it's giving us all a lesson to imitate, and reasons to Hope !

(These pictures are from the ‘09/11 Museum and Memorial of the Foundation of the World Trade Center, Inc.  © 2004-2011, National September 11 Memorial & Museum at the World Trade Center Foundation, Inc.')

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Death ! … Time has passedhas passingpassingI don't know, but we couldn'twe willwe won'tI don't know forget …
Late September 2001, a little Pear Tree that had been burning seriouslywas burning seriouslyseriously had burnthad been very severely burntI don't know, its limbs reduced to charred stumps is still standinghad still been standingwas still standingI don't know under the rubble ... It was then transported to a nursery in the Bronx and taken care oftaking care of ittook care of itI don't know… Its willpower to survive, even to Live, and spoutting leavesto sproutsprout leavessprouting leavesI don't know in spite of the Horror it had witnessed examplifyedwill exemplifyhad exemplifiedexemplifiedI don't know the will of the American Nation to recover, and rise uprising uprisen upraising uprose upI don't know from the remaining ashes, like the Phoenix …
In the meantime, projects had been designedhave been designedwere designedhad designedI don't know from 63 countries throughout the world to build a Memorial as a reminder of the tremendous loss and the inflexible determination of the survivors and the people not forgetnot to forgetto not forgetnot forgettingI don't know, or to rebuild what had been, but to have builtbut buildingbut to buildbut to be builtI don't know something else, something new … something huge !
The Callery Pear Tree which had witnessed what happeningwhat has happenedwhat had happenedwhat was happeningI don't know on that terrible day, and had then been forgotten, very slowly recovered and blossomed was been uprooted and transplantedbeen uprooted and transplantedwas uprooted and transplantedI don't know several times. It could, of course, have died of these extra traumas, in the process … It become emblematic thenIt has become emblematic thenIt then became emblematicI don't know of endurance and tenacity in the face of horror. Its bark still bears the marksborne the marksis boring the marksis bearing the marksI don't know of the blazing fire ... In March 2010 it was partly uprootedit is partly uprootedpartly was uprootedI don't know by a storm. It survived again and this survival was the proof of its resilience, and perseverance to live. Most of all, in front of devastation and Death, it proved to the whole world the possibility of Renewal : Seeds has been takenSeeds had been takenSeeds have been takenI don't know from its fruit, and they will make it live forever among the 120 oak-trees, symbolising never to yield the willpowerthe willpower to yield neverthe willpower never to yieldI don't know, never to give up !
Thank you for the lesson and the example, gallant little Pear Tree …