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Let the redbud tree shiver
And the rain break
Across each segment of its
Outheld, meagre branches.

At each junction, let leaves
Rise out of bunches of its
Flowers, loose crowns of
Yellowed green and peach,

Singular leaves swaying
As drops of rain batter
Them : each, depositing
A small part of its mass,

Let catch the light.
Let the redbud tree watch
In its passive colours,
Let no silence master the

Water in its course.
Afford the cardinals their
Voice, that the air should
Bear their keener sound.

O light the day in such
Elements—until it should
Fail—wherein, let darker
And subtler shapes be found.