Sun as hot as sin 
in this June sky—
my heart palpitates
I’m about to pass out 
navigating the sizzling 
heat of the city sidewalk

until I duck under 
a massive maple
arching over the street
and all those green hands

layer after layer they
seize the faint breeze—
some gesturing on the fringe
others dancing defiantly
against the pale humid 
torque of the day.

Each leaf small
almost inconsequential
but together they create 
an indivisible family
of individuals multiplying 
shadow upon shadow
in a life-affirming
deep breath of cool
like biblical waters
a baptism of shade—
Jordan in a tree.