Poem & Photo Giclee Print

Available, unframed, as an 8x10 print. Poem reads:

The Pines

We were told to be like pines,
steady and unchanging, as if
the woods hadn't grown up
alongside us. Even these evergreens
are not ever-the-same, and while rooted
they sway when prompted, the wind
stirring up the breathy movement
of needles, forcing the plop of snow
too heavy for brittle branches.
Snapped limbs litter
the forest floor, discarded
next to last year's oak leaves
and yesterday's animal waste.
Missing parts but standing, the pines
reach towards a distant sky, drawing
up what nutrients can still be found
in the worn-out soil. So too,
my past selves fall off,
broken pieces scattered around me
while I sway in the wind and sun. Growing
from what I have laid to rest,
my mulch and decay mingling
with my neighbors', dressing the ground
for what is to come.