What We Learn from Trees
I. The Junipers in the Man's Front Yard
stand three feet tall
fortify the corner of Oliver & College
solid
humble green sage (is this man
a sage?)
their trunks--light almond, sleek
are magnificent like scoliosis
you'd think they're swaying
with the winter breezes
but they're sturdy, steadfast
oxen bearing hundreds of pounds
with a unified fixed gaze
II. The Christmas Tree on the Concrete
has served its purpose
and now rolls around in a
cruel new milieu
in its artificial spruce glory
pushed back and forth
tauntingly
by two gusts of frigid wind
no ornaments, no lights
not even a discernible base
a wise old tortoise
knocked flat on its back, helpless
as the last Christmas song
drones out
III. The Condemned New England Elm
is two hundred thirty-five years old
dubbed a "local treasure" in
Yarmouth, Maine
presided over America
during all its red-white-blue wars
but none of this matters
in a few weeks
stainless steel blades will slice
through its diseased trunk
and an old man will cry
while it rains
sawdust
IV. Nothing
lasts
forever
jesus christ. i love this.
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