purple heart

© Jon Helgason | Dreamstime.com

resting upon the ground
her purple heart exposed
to the elements
she feels the frost settle upon her skin,
edges dusted with fine crystals
she is decorated for the holidays
sparkling even in her death
her transformation beautiful to behold
as she rests
at ease in the moment


crystalline tears fall upon the ground
mingling with the frost
some are salty
some are pure energy
shimmering in wholeness
alive within self and
sharing all that is


she senses this approach
of a kindred soul
one who sees as she does 
and her waiting is rewarded
she feels the eyes upon her
knowing her fragility 
for they share a similar fate
a gift
of change
a shift
into something else


the eyes are kind 
a-glimmer
with reflective tears of knowing and wonder
for they see the beauty
the miracle
that is life and death--
death of the way things were
letting go of the way she clung to the branches of her tree
of wanting to drift upon the wind and descend to the unknown
yet time passes and she realizes that her time has come to let go
so many have gone before her and they call out sweet encouragement
and then...
she sighs as she falls
no wind so she simply see-saws to the ground
even twirling a little on her journey
to enjoy the passage from one life to another
and gently lands upon the earth


she has never known anything so solid before!


she has always been up high
caressed by breezes
seeing far in the distance
held by a single thread of life force 
channeling from her to her family tree
a delicate tendril connecting them intimately


yet this new sensation is nice...
she feels safe and supported
she relaxes upon the ground so firm and
feels a full wave of vibration touch her everywhere all at once
unlike her other life of constant motion
where she was touched with sparks and
quickly passing fingers of flight and fancy 
twirling her this way and that
always dancing


this is a glow of peace that permeates 
her entire being whole and full
she sighs upon her soft bed of grass and moss and humus
she knows the transformation is coming
she can feel it continuing to spread 
throughout her veins
her nerves
fleeting thoughts and misty memories 
weave their way along her edges
beneath the frosty embroidery


was it yesterday or tomorrow that she let go?
she now realizes all time as happening now 
in the presence of her gentle rest
the release of flying high
dancing among the stars when she looked up
or on the flowers below
when was that?
is it to come or already passed?


she sighs and shimmers in the dawn
happy and ease in her crystal veil
______________

* The above was a contemplative free-write inspired by some images posted on Shine the Divine's blog; one of Laura's posts held an image of a purple leaf and was titled Frost Sugared, while the other held an image of a leaf with a heart in its center titled Keeper of Sacred Memory. In my mind, these images merged, and I was led to the composite in discovery of the story. I couldn't fine a purple heart frosted leaf photo though!