Last spring
I eagerly awaited
Your arrival
After the cold winter.
You,
As a tender green shoot
Upon a barren brown twig,
Were a welcome sight.
I watched you grow
So rapidly,
Each vein and crease
A mirror
Of your siblings'
As you crowded
Together,
Offering shade
And shelter
To me,
To squirrels,
And to countless birds
Throughout
The long summer;
But soon
The seasons began to change
Yet again
And I watched you go
From green
To gold
To brown-speckled
Before the autumn winds
Blew you from
Your parent tree.
Another winter,
Cold and dark,
Will pass
Before you reappear,
Continuing the cycle
As Nature's small, green herald
Of awakening life.