Unknown Hour

Unknown Hour

The branch
holding you for so long
knew it was ‘time.’

The ring inside this tree’s sturdy trunk
forms another circle like each tick
on a clock.

Letting go, you waffled left, then right.
For a few moments, you hovered
in the air like a ballerina
completing a pirouette.

You fell landing in a tranquil pond.
When you touched the water,
     it was a soft kiss.

A gentle ripple spread itself.
You held each other.

The unknown hour came.
You were pulled under
by what, by whom…no longer relevant.

Gone, yet there lies a trace.
Your veins stretch across your 
    leaf’s face.

I see a part of its pattern in me.

Right now, the pond holds the reflection.

I turn aside, moving on—
the branch let another leaf fall.