Have you ever seen
the desolation of trees
in winter,
their stark branches
piercing the sky––
their fortified cruelty lasts and lingers
like grey streams running from mountaintops
curling their fingers towards the empty sky––
roads that rove through thickets of brush,
souls that are lost beyond the lush,
and limitless yearning beneath the sky––
Have you ever seen
the desolation of trees
in summer,
their piercing branches
gilding the sky.