Gray Light and Brown Leaves

 

Gray light and brown leaves-

A pale cold winter morning.

There's no sign of life. 

 

Phantom car drives by
Leaving everything a blank.
Furnace softly starts.

 

The old driftwood owl

Leans against the naked tree;

Even he seems tired. 

A leaf has fallen
Into the dead stump's innards--
Deep in the dark shade.

Old lichen and new

Populate the dead tree trunk,

Crowned by rich green moss.

Pale line of dead leaves
Marks the dry stream bed's journey
Into the forest.

Caught by the brambles,

Fallen bark is suspended

In time and in space.

The tree spirit stares
With a look of wonderment.
What is it seeing?