the truth is there
in what the trees drink in –
it’s sun and soil, water and air

it’s gathering what is needed
from what’s provided;
from what’s available

not just growing where you stand,
but standing
where you can grow

it’s defiant fragility
and yielding aggression
embracing what our roots encompass

it’s knowing chance
for what it really is
the other that defines the us

and the us
defined not by what we control
but what grows together