A tree in autumn

"AS THE ASPEN TREE IN AUTUMN

I have come to disrobe as the autumn trees do,
Prepared to give up the summer heat
And reveal my winter bones, the outline of self,
A structure poised in surrender.

That is why we attend the formal dance,
Adjust a ribbon, polish our shoes, curtsy
All in anticipation of the return to our bodies.
You may watch the cloth unfold.
The loose dress opens like a wound
As I, newly born, step out of the shell.
How sad the trees cannot toss up their leaves
Like a silk dress and roll it around their heads.
Butterflies understand the undulations,
The waves of air like a blessing.

Let me be the aspen, arms at my side,
At ease at the edge of the two seasons.
I will be the ambassador and
Define what I was with what I am
At the revelation of my nudity."
Chr. de Vinck (New Jersey)