Dear Spirit to Spirit friend,
This came through me as I was parking in my driveway and beheld, as I do each day, the pristine beauty of the tree who lives right behind my patio.
Bowing to Stella
the beautiful red maple who shares her loveliness
with me and with all those who notice her.
Ode to Stella
I asked her
could you stay
just a little longer
bathing the earth
in the radiant glow
of your autumn brilliance
I asked her
could you stay
just a little longer
the rusty redness
of your maple adornment
washing over the land
Could you stay
I asked her
a little longer please
holding us in the lush embrace
of your leafy umbrella
assuring us of the lasting grace
of autumn's warmth
And even when her leaves began to drop
and blanket her wide base,
even when so many around her
shed down to their nakedness,
she stayed
carrying her robe proudly
determined to honor my request
and grant us all just a little more
timeless beauty
Until there would be
nothing of her glorious spread
only the stark presence
of her perfectly chiseled silhouette
that would walk us through winter
in the eternal promise
of the magnificence
that will come again.
In Gratitude & Love, Joanna