I feel like I have been putting leaves on a tree
Only for autumn to come take them all down
They were fresh and green
But when the fall came, they turned to orange and burnt umber
Soon they fell to the ground and my tree was without leaves
Like fetching water with a basket
I thought I was counting milestones
But it’s all gone now
Perished with the changing seasons and here I am
Staring at the naked branches of this tree
Wondering if all my labor was worth it at all
I kept the roses he gave me
Once soft and new
I put them in a pretty vase and watered them daily
But it didn’t matter how much water I gave them
They still shriveled with time
I tried to fight transience with infinity
Now I am stuck in the middle still trying to figure it out
Every step closer just keeps me further
Like the leaves on the tree which are no more
Growing again, just to fall back down again
You are like a ghost that ceases to exist
A nightmare I have woken up from
A dream I thought I had
But I am looking up at the tree now and there are no more leaves
The tree is like a figment of my imagination
Time to seek shade under another canopy
That which stands between transience and infinity
© Nina Fabunmi 2016
ninartz 