what research shows

a birch tree shimmers
outside in metallic shades
of grey and gold,
because November rings the 11^th
bell in the 12 steps out of trauma
into bareness,
or better,
clinically that is.

each leaf is a tear
cascading down the cheek of
some nothing,
and what are tears
anyways?
besides steps 3-6
on the treasure map
behind the clipboard?

leaves are just soft music
dropped beats
slivered sunshine
drops of gold.
i love them and i miss them
already even when they are still
here lush gardens of temporal forest
falling from an infinite sky or heaven above
as rich firmament catches their elusive ways
on their inevitable fall
and you I love as well i know
i will i am just
waiting
for step 12,

when the
leaves will
have dropped.

for now I wake up next to
a birch tree
singing me sweet lullabies
to go back-
back to sleep
live in dreams
slither under a comforter
of wet leaf piles
and stop taking
steps to
a pot of gold
when these leaves
shimmer better than
what you’ll find at the
end of any rainbow,
or step 12
in a game of hop scotch
to happiness.


dls