The sparrows stitch the amber wood
With fleeting feet misunderstood;
They measure snow by sound and thread
And weave the cold with crumbs of bread
The maple stands a quiet host
Its patience longer than the frost;
Beneath its bark the promise grows
That roots recall while surface knows
I learn from wings and trunk the same
That fragility supports the flame;
Endure the wind receive the sky
And trust renewal though you die
When spring forgets the frozen rain
The birds return to scarlet vein;
They sing of loss without regret—
For even leaving pays a debt