Infinitesimally Ephemeral

The ephemerality that's you and me
sometimes goes crashing, sometimes floats gently
into the permanence of the Is...
And yet I understand not, the gravity
of this moment 
of this gift that's life
and of its infinitesimal ephemerality...

Unbroken

Gusts of wind
that blow their will
bending stems, 
twisting stalks,
chasing broken leaves uphill

And yet,
when the power's spent
leaves sigh into the ground,
stalks untwist,
stems unbend

and stand tall
proud again
dignity intact
spirit unbroken by the fall.

Pain

The conflict, the strain,

The holding-on in vain

The labor, the grind,

The battle between the heart and mind…

The scramble, the strife,

The struggle, the pain,

The scraping and bleeding,

The agony of hopelessly needing…

The vacillation between

Deep despair and shining hope

Till every ragged breath is worn

And then, a butterfly is born.