Elegy for a Willow

O arms that embrace the wind,
ribbon-branches that caress my skin,
Never have I known such lonely woe,
as that portrayed by your curtain-leaves
that fall upon this cold, white snow.

Roots that anchor wisdom true
and trunk of rippled wood sinew
Your stem is forged of nature's steel
yet in beauty, as the flower's stalk
In your body, a gentle strength I feel.

Despite the rusted teeth of cold,
hardening your soil, worn and old
with timid might you persevere,
That you may see another dawn,
another spring, and another year.