Connection

The Deciduous Tree (Part 3)

Do the leaves hold on to the tree’s branches 
or is it the tree’s own doing 
when it comes to ultimately letting go?

The leaves have completed their cycle.
They were the first buds and sign of spring
Opening into colorful blossoms.

The blossoms became the green or dark hues
Expressing the type of deciduous tree.
All shapes and shades of green expanding toward the sky.

Next there were the seeds.
The future generation of trees were expelled down.
Pinwheels of seeds helicoptered below
The descent to bring forth descendants.

Now that the seeds had done their work,
The tree could finally show its true colors.
The green transformed to bright oranges, reds and yellows.
My oldest calls them the color of the setting sun.

The strong autumn breezes help the trees
Shed their leaves.
And then they are bare,
Ready to brace the cold of winter.

No fragile blossoms to accidentally freeze.
Just the tree and its roots
Starkly standing in the white of snow.

Forever patient.
The cycle can’t be rushed or passed through
Because it is nature’s own timing
And the tree plays its part.

The deciduous tree reminds me
That all stages are important.
One is not more special than the other.

It is a seasonal reminder
That life’s moments are brief.
And there is beauty and a lesson to behold
If I just take nature’s cue.




Connection

ALL THE BLOOMS

All the blooms have paid their visit.
They fulfilled their roles to completion.
Now green leaves of every hue remain on the branches.

All the trees marinate and meld into just a tree
Where the blooms easily identified the species.

Now they are a forest of trees
Indistinguishable to the undiscerning eye.
One lone red maple stands out from the rest.

Does the species of tree matter to the nesting bird
Tending to their fragile, precious young?

Maybe.
Sturdy, tall, with camouflaged branches
They call home.

I call it nature’s greenery.

Connection

The Deciduous Tree

The deciduous tree 
does not appear 
as it once stood
just one month ago.
Its outstretched arms are glowing
against the backdrop 
of the deep blue sky.
Splotchy green
with yellow or browned edges.

Yet the mighty maple
is just the sum of its 
many tiny parts.
The branch reaches toward the sky
on its solid trunk.
A resting place for tiny buds
that blossomed and burst
into a big bold green.
Seeds descended and dispersed.
And now we get to see 
the leaves’ true colors.

The deciduous tree
does not get to choose when
it’s time to blossom or seed.
It is synched to the 
rhythm of nature
beyond our concept 
of time.

The seasons connect me
and ground me
in a world that always
seems to be spinning faster
and faster,
Almost off-kilter
Off balance.

As the cycle of the season begins
I’m suddenly reminded 
of the color,
the beauty,
the cycles of nature
that surround me.
Always there.
A constant reminder that
I, too, am a child of nature
and connected to
the timeless rhythms 
that surround me.


self-care

The wild plum tree

The wild plum tree grew from the earth’s roots 
stretching its branches towards the sky 
towards the sun. 

To taste the fresh ripe flesh was a treasure to behold. 
The branches swayed to and fro like a rocking pirate ship. 
It does not nor can it evade the storms. 
Its very foundation depends on it being rooted. 

So the tree does what the tree does 
and the plum is the perfect expression of the tree. 
Fruit, a gift for you and me. 

I will taste the ripe fruit with unabashed pleasure and joy. 
Revel in its juice and as it drips in my hand 
and through my fingers. 
A pure delight. 

I thank the tree, the sun, the rain as I digest and swallow 
the whole earth in this little plum.