Counting

your branches were bare just
two days ago

i suppose there were signs of life
and i knew it was about that time
but i couldn’t see
just how close
you were
to shading my walk
and hiding
places
of chirping and squirreling
around

perhaps it’s strange that
i took the time
to count the number
of months
that you will live in seeming fulness
before you drop these
greens that delight my heart

six, maybe seven

and considered the number of days until
the days grow shorter
again

i wonder at how the sight of new life
and the warmth
of the late-evening
sun
on longer days
can inspire childlike delight
and a sense of longing and loss
in the distance of just one breath

or even half of the breath
the ever-present
reminder
giving and receiving
taking and letting go
in-ing and out-ing
filling and releasing

just two days ago
your branches were bare

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