Slender Birch

Steel Gray skies with threatening rain and restless wind My breath gathers as mist on the inside of the window pane ...as I watched for the school bus A slender birch tree with spiral scars of flayed bark against its white skin like curlicues of sharpened pencil shavings Still clutching many bright yellow leaves, Some collecting at its base like a discarded garment Sunlight, just a small shaft flickers bright dapples on tiny dancers Ocherous curtains against the bruised sky Prodigious vibrant final act Just for me The tree manages a sly curtsey in my direction, Sacrificing more of her fragile costume My beautiful rosy-cheeked child kicks playfully through the saffron sea of discarded programs “Here are some for you Mama” he says as he bursts into the kitchen smelling of peanut butter and early fall There he deposits a chubby handful of my regard gently into my apron pocket And into my heart's hiding place as well Perfect poignant performance; Beautifully done slender birch, Most beautifully done