Pruning
Layers of dead wood
Twiggy and tangled
Clutching at new growth
Keeping light out
Keeping dank, dark in
Festering

Pruning
Tangled inner branches
Surplus, directionless, fruitless, striving
Creating a clear space inside
For sunlight to caress the trunk
For breezes to blow through
To focus vitality in the strong outer limbs
To simplify growth
To bear more fruit
To thrive

Pruning
Occasional thorns
Dead branches fighting back
Straining the neck
Looking up, reaching
For the awkward tangly tips
Moments of exasperation and overwhelm
Where to begin?

And then softly… The tree whispers to me
This one
and this one
And this
And this
And on we work together
until it is done.