Oh Falling Leaves
A song in three parts

I
Oh falling leaves
Oh falling leaves
Falling all around me
To the ground

II
Bare branches
Empty sky
What lies in waiting?

III
Buds on the branches
Seeds in the ground
A song, searching for a sound

© 2015 Sara Thomsen
www.sarathomsen.com

I always associated tree buds with spring until I learned that they actually form (at least where I live!) in late summer, early fall. As the leaves fall and we are left with empty, bare branches, the buds that will bring new growth are already there, holding on through the winter, waiting to blossom until the time is right. When I am faced with the melancholy and grief of loss, this thought brings me comfort. There is the fallen leaf, and there is the bud, waiting. Seeds in the ground, falling from the dying flower, waiting. A song, searching for a sound.   -Sara

Written for "Leaf Falling, Bud Forming: Coming Home to the Paradoxes of Autumn", a Circle of Trust Courage & Renewal Retreat held at Wisdom Ways Center, St. Paul, MN (September 2015).


Echoes of Peace