The Nature Principle

The nature principle

Applied when we went outside

And with those dull blades

To branches that seemed to ask for pruning.

We went, urged by our need to be

Outside, tending the grounds,

Disposing of scraps that

Feed other organisms

Into rich, sifting dirt,

And, as always, find other

Things to prune, to notice, acknowledge,

To appreciate, pick up. We’d been pruning

Some trees lately, and this time moved on

To the next in lateral line.

Each has revealed

Glittering lines

And substance, age

In a few rocks buried at the stem, root, trunk.

Each invites our excitement, sometimes

Movement, transplant. So exciting to feel that

Energy of Earth, from tree and intertwining

Branch and all succulent growth that grabs on

So much it tells me of my own succulent patterns

And blooms and weeding needs. It’s beautiful to know

The woodcutter’s strength too – what comes from

Foraging until the life is known, creeping, crawling, or the sheer

Energy itself of growth.