It is a time to plant, late autumn,
as the rain and the cold come on.
Roots, tender and young, find their way –
spaces among the stones
crevices in the clay.

Among young spring cedars
I first breathed the fresh air
began to grow into the welcoming earth.
My flower opened, my branches
stretched out to the brightening sky.

Spring will follow winter
revealing what lives, what is dying.
The thin and leafless young plants
may bear life in bright fruits –
birds in their branches,
wind in their leaves.
So may spring find me
replenished in the land
opening my arms to the cool breezes
my heart to the falling rains of spring.

Portland, Oregon – November 14, 2018