The Trees Out Back

*soji - afternoon clean up time in Japanese schools

                                  Some
　　　　May want to call it cliche,
　　　　Life's comparison to trees,
　　　That seasons come and seasons go
　　　And that's all that trees will say.
　　　But you never still quite hear them
　　　When you come from certain lands
　   Where it seems there's hardly difference
　　　  In one year's collar and its hem.
              Until your ears are tuned anew
              Because you've changed locale
            And suddenly the tree's harangue
                                "You must
                                    Face
                                  Winter
                                    Too!"

                It was Autumn when you noticed
                All the leaves were no more green
                Every soji* had kids raking
                So you glanced up at the trees
           
                How come you hadn't seen it?
                Just how many leaves they'd lost
                Then very soon the limbs were frail
                Quite ready to be tossed

                And you glance into the mirror
                At the strands no longer black
                Then your heart skips just a moment
                For your season's right on track

                Doesn't your skin hang just more loosely?
                And your movement just so slow?
                And the ones recently babies
                Are not babies anymore?

                And that is when it strikes you
                And it's not at all cliche
                That seasons come and seasons go
                That's a lot for trees to say.