After he died Without warning, I planted a tree Announcing Just as suddenly The Serviceberry To the others In the garden Each bud of a branch welcomed by the fresh earth And dormant bulbs yet to burst The Aspen as role model Hastily, deeply she was added As quickly as he left In pursuit of Recouping buoyancy after starving for oxygen. Consoling under her generous shade Begging for silence of sufferings and deep sorrows
Three years have passed Has it been that long There they are, our memories, in the control room That cling, stab like a blade Taking over the clock A contagion of disorder That eats away like acid Explicitly unwanted Clarity of that night Frozen in time, like the winter it happened. Time ended without warning Deaths metronome gave birth.
Uneven disbursement Over one thousand days Since Asking why, Why? Why! Prone and exhausted. Drowned in tears that forged A lake of salt Why then Do we not float? What's holding us up? And another thing, Where does the wind Go when its gone? It dispatches without warning Whirling in circles, Catching conditions Why am I not so shaken then?
The Serviceberry has yet To bare fruit in its Short life to fifty Holding steady, Enduring the rooting road In the pragmatic ground Surrounded by leaves from seasons As messengers of compassion, companionship At the foot of her trunk An offering Once again in winter, here we are Sleeping until the sun Bleeds more time Why does three years Feel so heavy and capricious As if it were just yesterday
Will the depth of sorrow remain After she blooms and feeds The hungry birds, Over 35 species, Who love her nectar Caring for the offspring Obscure, neglected and hungry Giving back, keeping the healed From further storms of Sudden causes As he did for his flock Harbored in what the doctor Ordered. Tender Loving Care
Will heartache be replaced By forgiveness? Like the passing bus That descends the hill Into a valley of green hearts Picking up new passengers Loving another Forgetting the importance Of yesterdays bus ticket that Flew out the window Arriving without intention To its destination Neutralizing the anger That came without warning Glancing out the window Towards tomorrow As the birds songs Are sung