Bare and mossy,
raw and rooted
covered in the colors of my bruises.
Life flashing by me
faster than light
yet for one moment, I freeze in time.
Solid and stuck
rooted in the ground
I feel paralyzed and bound.
I feel the biting cold
drilling through my worn skin
until I realize something from within.
I take the time to look at the others
there are too many to count
as they are at every angle around.
They are bare and mossy
raw and rooted,
covered in the colors of their bruises.
I am not alone.
We stand as a forest,
wrinkled by time
withered by the storms of all kind.
Yet rooted together,
we stand tall and survive.
If only I could stay
frozen in time
to live in the unity
that keeps me alive.