A Message from the Trees

I walk outside

And look up at the tree in the front yard.

Its branches are bare.

Leaves, long shed,

Were raked and carried

To the backyard months ago.

But I see buds growing in the branches,

Promising life that will return in its season.

What message for me, for us,

In these times of fear and challenge?

That though we may have lost

Hopes and dreams ...

That though plans,

Shattered and swept up,

Now lie in the bottom of dust bins ...

We are alive, growing,

Dormant, but still grounded in earthy hope.

Step outside and look toward the sky.

Life and hope and promise

Are growing in hidden places,

Preparing to break forth

In beauty and strength.

First published, 1/12/2017.