Looking out my apartment window,
I see most of the tree leaves
have turned a crinkly brown,
died and been blown off the trees.

But some leaves refused to surrender
to the cold winter purges
and remain a lively green on the trees
like resistant rebels of nature.

I ponder these leaves clinging to life
and wonder how they survived
the winter purges that killed so many.

I think maybe the trees they lived on
aided them in their survival
somehow protecting them from
the yearly seasonal slaughter
of all the fallen dead leaves.

Bob Boyd