I am threadbare

I am threadbare

A skeleton of a tree

With fallen leaves

Standing misshapen

In silhouette

Against a backlit sky

Even tired birds

Impatient to roost

Fly by overhead

Afraid my ageing limbs

Will splinter

From their weight

What stops me

From falling?

It is a long way down

From the treetop

To the floor

Perhaps if I stay rooted

I will be stronger

Than before

It is in believing

My soul is breathing

For the world

That will carry me through

Another winter

To the spring

When returning birds will sing

And build new nests

Hidden in my leaves

Am I reborn

Or discontinued

Is my growth a source

Of wonder

To anyone

In particular

Or perhaps,

In stubborn deciduous

Resistance

An acid test

Has just been passed.