retreat to your roots

summer fades into autumn, 

the wind rages all around.

she shivers and tries with all her might to hold on to her leaves, 

the wind is too strong.

her leaves are ripped off and stripped away,

she tries swaying with the wind

clinging to the hope that submission is the key to keeping herself intact.

the hours stretch into days, the days into weeks,

 it gets harder and harder to hold on.

her last leaf is torn away and along with it the sense of protection,

of warmth, 

of belonging.

she stands alone and naked,

shivering in the wind and the cold.

her nakedness is mirrored all around,

 in the trees standing silent and unmoving.

following their lead, she retreats deep into her roots

determined to remember 

the warm days of summer,

waiting for the promise of spring,

knowing that winter is a season that will not last forever.