Until…


To notice Nature
Is to know the tulip's heart asks for little,
Its petals upon sundown
Folding shield upon shield
Over innocence.

The sun,
Also of patience,
Remains willing to allow,
Understands clouds of coolant,
Nature's roiling emotion,
Occasionally needing to vent.

Humans,
On the other hand,
Know less of endurance,
Too occupied with the now,
Ignorant of perfection's infinite cycle.

Like a child's first steps,
We wobble through life's forward movement,
Paying less and less attention to personal shields and clouds,
Becoming instead premature oldness,
Denying we're but habits of illusion,
Continuing to gravitate downward,
The waning breath gasping,
Until...