found hanging

it wasn't the tree's fault, just as it wasn't the fault of the five innocent boys
jailed and fearful. The tree was chosen for its strength, for the one limb that stretched out at the right height, for the fact that it could be easily climbed,
that one could jump from a rope without toes touching. It obscured the stars
with its leaves; it was a dark place, some distance from houses. It was a
tree, old and steady. It was as familiar as taunts and rejection rooted in
love stories of others who followed their hearts and were betrayed.