The roots of our anguish

These,
these are the roots of our anguish:
the trust that was betrayed,
the hearts that we betrayed;
the ones who failed to love
and the ones we failed to love;
the time they could not spend with us,
and the time we did not choose to spend
with those we could not love enough.
And though we try to stay above, removed --
dancing like leaves in the treetops --
some part of us knows
that these are the roots --
these roots of our anguish --
that these are the roots that feed us,
and feed our souls.


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(For Gloria and Mike, with gratitude)

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