letting go moment

slowly she celebrated the sacrament of letting go
first she surrendered her green

then the orange
yellow
and red
finally she let go her brown

shedding her last leaf she stood
empty and silent
stripped bare
leaning against the winter sky
she began her vigil of trust

standing in silence
wearing the colour of emptiness
her branches wondering
how to give shade with so much gone

and then
the sacrament of waiting began

the sunrise and sunset watched with tenderness
clothing her with silhouettes
they kept her hope alive
they helped her understand
that her vulnerability
her dependence and need
her emptiness
her readiness to receive
were giving her a new kind of beauty

every morning and every evening
they stood in silence
and celebrated together
the sacrament of waiting