When you let me be here
You grant me the right to
Occupy space –
To breathe the air and
Hold my ground

You justify my
Place in the bouquet
Tucked between
The tulips, the
Hyacinths and the
Delicate baby’s breath
In a crystal vase
You bought

When you talk to me
You acknowledge
My existence
The way you’d notice a blue jay
Sitting on a pine branch
Or the drift of lavender
Swaying in the field

When you smile at me
I know I am seen
The way the eye discerns
Sun-baked mesas from
Snowcapped peaks

When you do things for me
You affirm that
I have needs – the way
Hydrangeas crave a
Mineral-rich soil
And the mercy of
Filtered rain

When you listen to me
You offer the refreshing
Sparkle of chilled water –
A quiet nectar of survival

But when you hear me
You show me that
I am part of the forest
That I contribute to
Its lush canopy
And make me feel that
Its harmony would falter
Without my blossoms

I find my note to play
In the sonata of
Humankind

And the meadows I carry
Or babbling creeks I bring
Turn the C-majors brighter
And the a-minors
More melancholic
In the symphony
We compose together

That I belong