Sunset gilds 
The upper branches
Shining against a background
Of smokey-gray

A magical moment when light
Is fleeting and
Downward brush strokes of fire
Paint Birch trunks standing among Cedars

A mix of vertical white
And triangle green
Weather is brooding in
The southern sky

A breath later
Darkness 
Closes around the
Quiet trees



By Diane E. Dockum
©April 4, 2023