if you like taking walks

a thing you can do on walks 
if you like taking walks 
and need a 
temporary 
escape 
from the things you say to 
yourself 
a thing you can do is just look 
up 
at the trees around you 
as you walk by 
specifically 
focus on the branches 
and the branches of the branches 
and so on 
and find the branches 
that if instead 
of branches 
were trees of their own 
standing alone 
would be the most 
perfect trees 
with roots and 
perfect branches 
and so on 

and if from this point of 
focus 
you let you mind start to 
wander 
you might find yourself 
start to wonder 
what it must feel like to be 
one of these 
branches on trees 
the perfect thing to say 
but too late 
and the conversation has 
moved on 
looking back 
thinking 
what it might have been like 
if only the timing had been right 
the life you might have now 
if only you could 
go back 
to that moment and 
start over 
from the ground 
up 

and if lost in thought 
you start to see 
a sadness 
weighing 
swaying 
the branches of the trees 
it's that same weight 
resistance 
wind in your face 
that builds 
resilience 
the 
strength 
to 
know 
there is no 
starting over 
going back 
fairness in initial conditions or 
reason for regret 
except to grow and 
branch out 
forward 
and 
up

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