A Year
In one short year, so much has grown,
From one radiant seed,
Donna’s smile,
The promise that joy is accessible.
Given space and quiet, the seed swelled,
Put out roots,
then a shoot,
And started to reach upward,
A gradual unfurling,
And the frozen ground
thawed, a little;
moved, a little.
Support was required,
From birch, oak, and hazel.
Benediction, a blessing,
Of sun, on new leaves.
Oh, I want to be a tree!
Tall and strong, wise and deep.
The sapling moves, climbs,
Grows taller.
Feels deeply the shaking of the wind and,
Strengthens her roots.
I will be a tree, in a forest
of my peers.
Not all at once, but inch by inch,
Day by day, and night by night.
