Winter Soldiers
Oak leaves hold their positions at all costs.
They have survived the storming
of the Autumn’s gusty winds
but now some may be lost
in the attacks that are forming
at the hands of Winter’s winds.
They lay down their lives
falling through the sky
like paratroopers
dying in the snow
and on frozen lakes.
Like good soldiers
they do so for a greater cause
“Marcescence”
protecting the young buds through winter.
The many that survive
will perish come springtime
but they were all
good winter soldiers