.
A tree knows.
It knows the animal of time
that climbs up its trunk,
wrinkling hours into bark.
It knows that rain
falls between suns
and that baby birds
fly their nests
and return full of eggs.
A tree knows
that endings
swallow their own tails
to become tight brown nuggets
falling in circles,
flavoring earth with the future.
A tree knows.
And what it knows best
is to give.
.
(c) 2003, 2017 Betty Hayes Albright
.
(a re-post, revised)
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Seasonings 