Tree of Life

One day, the sadness will end. 

— Margaret Lanterman

On days when it’s looking up 

life insurance payout restrictions bad, 

think of a little patch of bluebells 

in the shade: it’s dark, yes, 

now, but the sun 

is already beginning 

its morning transit, will shift 

the lattice of shadow 

& light until those flowers, 

too, see their moment of warm attention. 

It will pass, yes, 

that moment. 

Do not mistake this 

or be afraid. The stems’ll shiver bluely again 

in evening, for a brief time, but then the moon will appear, its low glow giving 

everything a dim & constant light

Tom Snarsky is the author of Light-Up Swan and Reclaimed Water, both from Ornithopter Press. His book A Letter From The Mountain & Other Poems is forthcoming in 2025 from Animal Heart Press, and his book MOUNTEBANK is forthcoming in 2026 from Broken Sleep Books. He lives in the mountains of northwestern Virginia with his wife Kristi and their cats.