POEM: The Secret

The longevity is in long quiet winters
& tsunami springs that never look like much
But turn you upside down just the same

The secret is that there is no secret
Drop your leaves right where you are
Grip your roots firm as a tulip poplar

This life has not been given to you
With the flickering ending of a cinema in mind.
It’s not how things work.

Throw what sharp snow remains against the wall
And burnish a path through it all.