Soil

I take my roots to
wherever I go;
but taking the roots along
does not mean
that I also take the soil
along.

And when the soil itself
is different,
the strength it gives
is also different.

I might blossom in similar ways;
in similar ways,

might I bear fruits.

But then,

in the roots, in the trunk, in the branches

and in the fruits,

I either

harden-stiffen

or I

become more

succulent—as if sweet juice

is about to drip down. 

Into a big, bare tree

I might grow … still holding

a formidable sky.

Or just die

I might—soon enough…

like a yellow plant, in my relocation—

things

will be different:

time, place and space,

friends and foes,

light and shade.    

This is… how it is!

The laws of life, starting right from the soil,

ends right in the soil.  

['Soil' first appeared in Grey Sparrow Journal, USA]