Looking toward the shadowed future
Pathways based on choices
Form the shape of an evergreen tree
The trunk to branches to twigs
Each show a choice
A choice that leads to another and another
Sap in the tree
Finds a fork in the road
And chooses one
Comes to a dead end
With nowhere to go
Not backwards, forwards, or to the sides
The tree wilts and dies
Nurturing the ground
And a few days later…
A sprout appears.