Silhouettes

against the sky
the trees in winter stand;
dark and austere;
reaching always upward.

in the lovely morning light
I have seen red
and orange and purple spread
behind them like a canvas.

and I have seen them,
in late afternoons,
when blue pours from the heavens
in hues impossible to describe.

in moonlight and starlight,
through cold and lonely winds,
I have seen them
waiting patiently for the dawn.

rooted firmly as the trees,
valiantly I also stand and strive
like them for light and warmth
from far beyond this transient little world.

 – Jerry Dan Deutschendorf