but connect a leaf to the stem   that is

itself   not a stem   but what

supports and swells

at the pulvinus:   a sheathing of blade

at base   allows each leaf

a sway

of shifting orientation

when the wind

caresses

causes the greenness to fold   until the Fall

which is really a push —

each leaf leaves the branch from a push:

self-destruction built in as self-

protection:   the tree cuts what it needs to live

scissors its supply   chokes its veins

until   daily

this slender connection

can barely hold on

steadily increases its dangle

lets a firm wind finish the rest

the way a hand can caress

then leave

and take everything

away

the first line is inspired by Ross Gay’s “Ode to the Tongue Orchid”