Alder Leaves
Alder leaves fall
into the creek one-
by-one, float down
stream, sometimes
flipped over by a
whim of current,
one yellow leaf caught
by a foot-wide eddy
within four river rocks
going round and round
until an imperceptible
change in the flow
of clear water
kicks it out
enabling it to press on
along its solo path,
my circle of thought
like the summer forest
vanishing too.
(Photo by Laura Young
