Fall and Rise

I look out the window
and see you standing
silent, brooding, unmoving

Your leaves turn to gold
and flutter silently away
carried on the bitter wind
and the freezing rain

As the squirrels fall asleep
and the birds fly south
leaving you alone in the dark

Do you resent your fate
that keeps you rooted
condemning you to face
this frigid loneliness

Year after year
you present a brave face
becoming a thing of beauty

Never once complaining
or letting it be known
how the budding spring
tugs at your heartstrings

Perhaps I can learn from you
The winter behind my window
will bloom to spring someday

But will the scars I bear
remind me of this strife
or fill me with hope anew
only time will tell.