Zooming Out to Zoom In

By Ingrid Muñoz

Looking deeply at this leaf,

I see life in a messy, perfect cycle.

     Energy, transformed.

          Borrowed and returned.

I see the passing critter that needed a bite to keep going.

I see evolution.

     Ancestry, adaptability, survival.

          Reproduction. Family.

I see the countless generations that came from an ancient mutation.

I see a sturdy, dependable shelter.

     Strength to withstand the tempest.

          Protection for the nest of birds.

This leaf is telling a part of a never-ending story. 

     About a final sacrifice.

          A necessary goodbye. 

Though nearing the end of it's chapter, it has yet much left to say.

I see a future full of endless possibility.

     I have only witnessed, just now,

          the beginning of an end, but not the end of new beginnings.

A Sky-Scape Through Time >