Clouds of Leaves

I love the way elms rise to float clouds of leaves They seem snagged on bare branches so high in the air. In my youth these clouds hospice beyond all compare, I see God meet me halfway and roll up His sleeves! The horizon transparently open and then, I would touch a new branch and rise higher again. Clouds shade one from sunlight though God knows you’re there But leaf clouds aren’t demanding and morph as they please, With exceptional patience, their hearts cling to trees! Oh, how softly they rustle, leaves whisper your care, You can feel yourself float too on feathered green wings, Like a balm, they can comfort most all of life’s stings! A boy in a treetop can almost touch stars, A child’s ether is freedom, God’s breath without end To the depths of creation, what’s there to pretend As your dreams wend their way between Venus and Mars? Oh, may I like a child climb a tree before death, And let gravity struggle to catch my last breath! Long Tooth September 21, 2018