I. Live Oak
The live oak in my yard was there before my parents existed
Before my grandparents existed
And I sit in its shade.
When I am gone, another will sit in its shade.
I wish it could tell me what it has seen.
Its roots defy the drought by reaching down deep.
For it is in the depths that the treasure is hidden.
Immortality is in the depths
And requires reaching down deep.
2. Little Flower
Every spring, the same kinds of little flowers bloom in the same place
They are, of course, not the same little flowers
But they bloom in the same place at the same time
Year in and year out.
Always welcome and beautiful
Fragile, yet sprouting from enduring roots.
We are fragile, but it helps to have enduring roots.
3. Cicada
You sing and sing and then go silent
And rest in the earth
For more than a decade
And then rise to sing again.
Your song carries loud
And is indifferent to the noise of people.
It is my hope to go silent
And to rise again and sing.
Indifferent to the noise.
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