leaves

this week i went looking for leaves. not to collect them — just to stand next to each one long enough to notice the shape. every leaf holds its own logic if you look close enough. here's what i found.

ginkgo

i found a ginkgo leaf today, no sharp edges anywhere on it. just one soft curve, like it was never in a hurry to be anything else.

japanese maple

i reached for the japanese maple leaf but it fell before i could. some things move at their own pace, no matter how far i stretch.

quaking aspen

this quaking aspen leaf never sits still. small, round, trembling at the smallest breeze, like it's always listening for something.

white oak

i found a white oak leaf that held on through the whole winter once. i think it was protecting something.

paper birch

no red, no orange on this paper birch leaf. just a clean, quiet yellow, and i didn't need it to be louder than that.

sycamore

the sycamore leaf was the biggest one all week. i just stood beside it for a while, and thought about how every one of them let go a little differently — some falling fast, some holding on, some just waiting to be noticed. i still don't know which way i'd choose.