The Day New Branches Rise on the Tree

Yesterday's retreating back has vanished into the forest
along far, winding byways of branches
the treetop, thrusting up above the whole body,
cries out toward the days ahead with the strength of the trunk
stretching the dream held in the roots out to the fingertips
since the season when all I had brought was taken away
the knotted wounds all through my heart—
today I will shake out the backlog of grief
and loosen it all in one great forgiveness
once it has passed, only another strain
of a beloved song, and new shoots rising
opening a little window onto the void to show my inner heart
on a road that, once taken, never turns back
one step forward, I put out a new branch
the floodgate of a long silence bursts
a dazzling sun rising out of the shower clouds
a dawn that wakes the shade of the half moon
toward the brilliantly shining sky
this day on which we go forward together
will never come again, they say