of subtraction and addition

 

a continuity of beauty

late afternoon light still paints itself on the trees east of our cabin,

a continuity I have known and appreciated for decades,

the first 10 feet of the forest floor, though,

has erupted into near-impenetrable new growth,

caused by the subtraction fire and wind have worked upon tree and bush,

a favorite great poplar and great beech gave up their ghosts:

the Fire was one challenge too many,

it is hard to appreciate the brash eruption

of the common poke weed moving in quickly and seemingly thoughtlessly,

the King and Queen are dead, so why not dance on their graves?

a hummingbird feeds at the crimson bee balm just up the creek

while I pen these words and work to find a balance

between bittersweet nostalgia and glory in the continuity of beauty,

I age,

I diminish,

I also enlarge in appreciation,

I want to notice and applaud the sun on the trees before me,

I find my body needing extra time just to get going,

the keeping going is a question I have to answer every day.

by Henry H. Walker

July 8, ‘21