The flowers stiffen
As if to remind me
That they are still alive
But I know
no heart beats beneath their stem
Even so, ignorance is bliss
And the flowers are still convincing

Red woods collect their leaves
And straighten their branches
As if to remind me
They have not yet reached decrepitude
But tall as they are,
Their roots are still wilting

Then I've reached the stream
Whose water trickles over rocks quietly
As if to remind me
That it is gentle
But I know who it has taken

I walk through the woods
As if to remind myself
That I am not wicked
But the flowers
And Red woods
And the stream
Know.