Absorbing everything, The spectrum's A-to-Z

Trail Lit installation #5

All Are Different, All Are Good

Fellow hikers’ trip reports
almost talked me out of coming here.
Leaves were “past their peak,” read one,
making me suspect I waited too long.

I showed up to the trail anyway
and it caught me off guard
Colorful leaves were still everywhere, and
my dog and I had the trail to ourselves.

Who are we to judge
which colors were “peak” anyway?
The brightest red and yellow stand out but
not so without muted colors nearby.

Each tree species has a distinct leaf shape
but there are no two leaves exactly the same.
Each come with own tones, specks, size and texture
All are different, all are good.

No matter how big or small
Every leaf is playing its role
Displaying its pigments, celebrating its life
Reflecting the glorious fall lights.

Writer’s note: “All are different, all are good (みんなちがって みんないい in Japanese)” is a line I borrowed from a Japanese poem “私と小鳥と鈴と (“A Bell, a Bird, and Me”) written by Misuzu Kaneko, who passed away almost a century ago. I knew this beautiful phrase, and it came to me when I saw the leaves in Manzano Mountain Wilderness Area last week.

All photos ©Mapchan

---

P.S. I am a crazy Death Cab for Cutie lady. I often find inspirations for my writing in their songs and pull my blog post titles from their lyrics whenever I can! This post’s title is pulled from A Lack of Color.