WillowÂ
Vibrant green on branches young,
   reaching out to catch the wind,
      swinging softly and serene,
         gifting shade to little hands,
      a cover from the sun and rain,
   snow and storm and heat, again
   Voices fade, silence falls in,
   footprints lost in muddy ground,
      frozen white, then washed away,
         with leaves swinging serene,
            long branches dressed deep green.
            Branches long, a heavy load,
               almost touch the ground,
                  a small distance to be filled,
                     dense green, swinging serene
               A call like singing,
            voices on the dawning sun,
         like migratory birds return,
     to what is swinging and serene,
   branches in soft green
   Weathered bark and scarred wood,
   creaking loudly, breaking heart,
      branches swinging softly, slow,
         fading green, no longer serene
               Yet warmth envelops fallen branch,
               small beating pulse, pulled close
            From the dark, embracing cold,
         water calls to roots to grow,
      to start to reach, to burrow deep,
   green sprouts break weathered bark
learning how to swing, serene.
-03.07.2026
