Delicate

I would still like to believe

that my ecosystem of aliveness

Is resilient, and not delicate like

the decaying leaves in autumn rain

the new shoots in spring frost

the wilted petals in summer heatwave

the twigs broken in icestorm

Though I know I am delicate,

vulnerable

breakable

Impermanent

I awake to feel once again

My vulnerability

in breath, step, skin

In heart, mind, body

As if my Spirit is surprised

by the familiar ache

I would still like to believe

that my ecosystem of aliveness

Is resilient,

and not delicate

like the vasculature of trees,

Yet my resilience lives only in the well

The well we all share,

underneath, pushing through

The well of life surging, pulsing, rooting, decaying, shedding, budding, renewing

together with all-that-is

This well of intimacy, connecting us all

The well I can never claim as mine—

only ours—in reverent belonging

May my delicateness remind me

I am never alone, dissolving my ache