Shedding

I lost a million cells today,
And that was just my skin;
But who can count the number,
That I also lost within;
Yet something of a miracle,
Happened at my core;
Replacing what was dead and gone,
I grew a million more;

And like a snake that sheds its skin,
Or trees that lose their bark;
My soul made space for growth within,
The light displacing dark;

Leaves descend, antlers are shed,
And birds - they lose their feathers;
Animals doff their summer coats,
And prepare for colder weather;
And in the Spring, there grows new things -
Brighter, vibrant, stronger;
Things once dead now raise their head,
To the light of days much longer;

And we are fools avoiding pain,
If we choose to believe,
That we can grow without the ache,
Of animal and leaf;
That we can live without the death,
That all of Nature knows;
That seasons do not come our way;
That souls don't also grow;

And the shedding is begetting,
A new and fuller form;
Like the splendour of new garments,
Replacing rags once worn;
And the past has served its purpose;
And the present now unfolds,
The ever-growing mind and heart -
The body and the soul.

Behold...all things are new.