Look at me and see
A dancing apple tree
These branches representing
All of my extensions
All the ways I’m extending
Away from my roots
Look
Look at me swaying in the wind
Dipping my toe into every new thing
As if it were a lifeline
A way to strengthen my spine
To grow
And withstand the next storm
So look at me spread
This canopy of leaves
Towards the sun
Drinking in the light
The life
That gets me through another season
Look at me breathe
The chest of my stem expanding
Breathing in the dust of life
Breathing out the rust of death
The stem of my chest collapsing
Under the weight of the dawn
Retracting from this lifting mist
Until the senses settle in to old patterns
And my tree dances
No more