take the leaf of a tree
trace its exact shape
the outside edges
and
inner lines
memorize the way it is fastened to the twig
(and how the
twig arches from the branch)
how it springs forth in April
how it is
panoplied in July
by late August
crumple it in your hand
so that
you smell its end-of-summer sadness
chew its woody stem
listen to
its autumn rattle
watch it as it atomizes in the November air
then
in winter
when there is no leaf left
invent one.
-Eve Merriam.
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