I would have stayed here forever
But they pulled me up from the ground,
And they took shears and snipped off my dangling roots.
And they fell into a red plastic bucket
Looking naked and pale
But when I shook off the dirt
And took in the scent of grass
Fighting death, holding warmth
Nothing had changed, not really
And the leaves followed the taste of the sun,
Just as they always had
Draping their branches in cascades
Murmuring out the words of the wind
Living and dying and falling together.
And my feet found purchase again
Under the boughs,
And I soaked in the warm bath, my eyes heavy
Feeling empty, feeling full
Feeling real once more.