What am I here for
But to watch buds fatten
On tips of branches in early spring
To notice the colors of the sky
How sun and clouds play with light
And wind plays in trees

Enormous branches wave and pitch
Every squirrel has sea legs
And every bird knows wind in its feathers
The way I know air in my lungs

Warty limbs offer footing for hawks and squirrels
Predator and prey on the same playground

Mourning doves build flimsy nests
Robins weave bowls sturdy and deep
Open-air homes, no walls, no roofs
Yet safe for fragile eggs and naked babies

I live fortified in walls and clothes and knowledge
Yet no more safe than birds and buds
“Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow
They don’t work or make their clothing
Yet Solomon in all his glory
Was not dressed as beautifully as they are”*

*Matthew 6:28b-29, NLT