day 22; the hidden life of trees

Down in the hollow
where daily we spilt our loneliness,
there the trees exampled for us,
planted by the stream:

“See in spring
how quickly we bloom,
how unlike the fire
we spread slowly and all at once.

“Watch in autumn
as we shed the beautiful leaves
that have hid all our flaws—
now we stand naked,
ugly, but unashamed.

“And summer may seem easy
but is so preoccupied,
full to the brim
with living—you look and
can’t see everything that flourishes.

“Even in winter,
when empty the underbrush,
the dead and dependant naked for scorn,
we remain. Through roots entangled,
we share life, and wait.

“See how in barrenness, we thrive.”