This is proof
that there is no arc of death,
that death is not a place
where life ends up

This is proof that life
is always what’s here to notice  –
that in spite of death sentences,
life is what speaks to us

Before, it seems, all we could notice
was that the tree was dying,
but now, each spring, each year,
we celebrate persistent life –
these leaves, as fresh as ever,
coming out gracious
beside the hollowing trunk.

©Wendy Mulhern
May 12, 2021