Today's post is part of the Tarot Blog Hop. Use the links below (also at the bottom!) to follow the rest of the Blog Hop!
Warm rays of the sun
caressing bare skin.
The scent of flowers
playfully sneaking into the nose
amidst the earthy presence of the soil.
Life and energy and vibrant green
perpetually splashing the canvas of each day.
Summer...
The Maple Leaf glows among his fellows,
productive and joyful in his days,
Proud and strong in his purpose,
full of eagerness and unity.
He has overcome the struggles of spring
and youth,
breaking forth from the bud with vigor
and not a small amount of effort.
Here he stands at his prime,
in full communion with the sun and the rain,
the branches, trunk and roots,
the earth and the air,
the birds and the ants.
Even a human occasionally stops
to thoughtfully gaze...
Quinn the Maple Leaf awakens one morning at the usual time.
Is the light a bit dimmer?
Is the air a bit chilly?
What is this ache in my stem?
After a moment, he gracefully recovers and moves on cheerfully with his day.
As the days progress,
the morning slumbers in darkness a little longer,
the day takes its time to share warmth,
The ache transforms into pain,
The communion with the sun and branch becomes strained.
The vibrant green of the leaf begins to fade,
and a fiery red grows
betraying the burning he feels in his Being.
Though the sun shines,
Quinn's sense of its warmth diminishes.
Though the leaf remains attached to the branch,
their conversation has dwindled to mumbles,
and their exchange has become a trickle.
Autumn has arrived.
He hangs there from the branch,
in silence.
No communion, no labor,
no life,
no death.
Aching, empty,
only shadows of his former glory.
Conscious,
remembering.
Contemplating,
wondering.
Quinn waits.
And waits.
The day comes when the leaf feels his stem start to separate from the branch. Quinn knows his time to depart is at hand. Suddenly, he is filled with anxiety.
I must continue.
I must hang on.
My time cannot be over!
I must hang on!
His days of waiting he had despaired his return to the earth,
unable to cope with the fading memories
of being green,
tender and robust,
flowing with life.
Sorrow for my loss has consumed me
And I have missed joy for the life I have lived
Narrowness of mind has closed my heart
to the needs of others
Yet it is not too late!
I will cast off my mourning
and find peace and gratitude
in the life I have lived.
I will rejoice in the space
my departure makes
for the life of others!
Farewell Branch!
Farewell Sun and Birds!
Farewell Breeze!
Quinn let go...
and
slowly
drifted
to
the
earth
Darkness, quietness, stillness.
Days go by
slowly
This is death?
a crackling, crunching sound.
What was that?
Quinn felt himself being lifted and then tumbling and rolling with the other leaves. Then stillness. And again tumbling and rolling over and over!
What is that sound? Is that giggling? It is!
"Come here, Katie! Grandpa has a pile of leaves for you!"
"Oh boy!!!!!!"
The little girl ran and jumped into the pile of leaves giggling and bouncing. Quinn the Maple Leaf looked up into the girl's eyes and saw her pure, innocent joy -- and he laughed a deep and happy laugh.