To realize my destiny,
I have everything I need.
I am a complicated blueprint
cloaked in a tiny seed.

Though my environment may dictate
how wide or how tall,
I'll adjust to my surroundings
and thrive where I fall.

I have no learned instructor
to guide what to do,
yet I know when to shed my leaves
after I adjust their hue.

Disregard my small stature —
an impermanent disguise
that grants me the ability
to grow a million times my size.

I welcome life with passion
as my branches are unfurled,
with tangled roots under the ground
I touch both sides of this world.

I bend and twist toward the sun
competing with the trees
for my neighborhood was chosen
by the direction of the breeze.

I live, I grow, I breathe, I am...
though I possess no brain or heart.
I'm a presence in a wondrous world
where I proudly play my part.

I need not worry day-to-day;
what I require is provided.
I need not seek my purpose
for it has already been decided.

---

© Linda Ellis. All rights reserved.