Olive
My name comes from my mother’s name.
“In Arabic, زيتون means ‘Olive’.”
The two share the same meaning,
like two branches of the same tree,
stretching toward the sky,
but rooted in the same earth.
I carry this name,
and with it, I carry you.
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My mother didn’t know,
that one day I would fall in love
with everything tied to my name.
I read about the olive tree’s resilience,
how it thrives in dry, rocky soil,
how its roots dig deep,
reaching for what cannot be seen.
I carry this name,
and with it, I carry you.
I watch films that call it a symbol of peace,
a bearer of light in a world that can be so heavy.
I learn about its oil,
how it nourishes, heals, and endures.
And just like the tree,
I’ve learned to stand tall,
to grow slowly but surely.
I carry this name,
and with it, I carry you.
Each time someone calls my name,
it feels like a gentle whisper of where I come from–
a reminder that I am your branch,
reaching toward the light,
while staying rooted in you.
Even as I stretch
far beyond your reach.
