Blessing in the falling

We celebrate the blooming, 

But can we not appreciate 

The falling of the blooms as well, 

The way the delicate petals bless 

All those they touch with color, 

And then enrich the earth, 

Even as the branches left behind 

Grow heavier with fruit 

 That cannot begin to ripen 

Til the blossoms fall away?

 In truth, each phase — 

 The blooming and the fall, 

The ripening and the pluck, 

The emptiness and the waiting; 

The chill of absence and the itch of budding — 

Each contributes, and has value 

In the ever turning cycle of creativity.