Cherry tree

It was not even cold the day we arrived.

We walked through the quaint northern town,

gazing upon others as if we knew them by name.

Everywhere we went I saw a red cherry tree.

In each town square,

In every field and along dirt roads,

Every time, I had to stop and look from below.

Up, into the brilliant blue sky,

Into the specked array of red dots

refracted by the sun.

Even in November

as the weather plays its tricks

and the sun filters through each section,

somewhere the familiar stirrings

of the holidays are not far off.

Week 40. The familiar.

I went up to Vermont this weekend and traveled around a bunch of quaint New England towns. It was funny, everywhere I went I saw these beautiful trees with small cherry like fruits. They reminded me so much of a kind of mistletoe. This fall the weather has been quite mild, leaving me feeling a bit unprepared for the idea that the holiday season is almost here. Seeing these trees made me think about things that we are all too familiar with in our lives, things that we almost don’t notice anymore because we just expect them. All the things we assume will come without any effort. Sometimes we feel so familiar with those who we care for, maybe even too familiar. The word “family” and “familiar” must be related in this sense. Sometimes I forget how important close connections in my life are, they are significant because they root me back to what I know as true, and sometimes that’s a very good place to be.