I’ve swept
A hundred paths
Of tears and broken leaves,
And heaped them
Into mounds
Under trees,
Maybe to go
Back to remember
Why they had to fall,
I won’t ignore
The effort spent
To clear a path for all.

I’ve dug graves
For people
Who are still alive
And breathing
And have sung
Their praises
Cast petals
On the leaving
Shadows as the sun
Sought its usual retreat
From the sky.

Using tools so
Tattered and torn
Clearing a way
Took hours long
Longer than expected
But what was to be
Had to be done now
No use to change
The order of tears
And leaves falling
What comes naturally
Comes not to us all,
No not everyone.