18.      What is this thing we’re promised?

We’re asked to watch and observe and think and feel

and respond and pay attention

to when the trees change,

starting when they’re naked and cold and dusted with snow.

And then emerge with the pollen burst in the spring

that partially obscures the beauty of the budding life

and flowering glory to come.

We push through to the summer where grasses

grow to sway, leaves on trees fill in to green

and shade us while we breathe and wait out the heat

for the crispness of the reds and yellows and oranges

and crunch under our feet with the final brilliance

before winter settles in again,

watching for snowfall that

pauses time during our attempt at survival.