Deciduous

Deciduous

               And he shall be like a tree

                       planted by rivers of water.

                                    Psalms 1:3

                      

I am a tree planted halfway down

the river which already starts to slow up

and spread out before it embraces the sea.

If not an oak, pine, or maple, at least

an alder with new leaves each spring.

If they don’t come, I’ll know I’m in trouble.

The root of the problem began when

I turned one limb away from the sun. 

My own chlorophyll should be enough,

I thought, to last through the day and all

night long.  I was wrong.

                              —Donnell Hunter

                                         2 March 2012