-
Brush Arbor
say trees
without trespass
say poet
without ease
say with
without me
say see
say free
without me
no dream
no day
no seem
without seem
no say
no stay
no think
say pass
without white
say skin
before bright
before bright
before bleed
O drum
O speed
if teach
if near
if bless
if clear
if speak
if wish
then branch
then seal
then heart
then wheel
then light
must light
must pierce
must cleave
must forgive
must weep
-
Brush Arbor
My ancestors worship
in the woods praise God
knotted they lie
overhead in the forks
of great trees watching
as I enter, a pilgrim
to light lamps
& ask
& ask
-
Brush Arbor
The law says
I may enter
anytime
the veil
of branches
surrounding
my family buried
in leaf litter
beyond my line
of sight
right here, on land
not long planted
in birches
some of the fastest-
glowing trees
in North America
dozens arranged
right here, as if
to overwhelm
with leaves serrated
like gold surprises
& vertical growth
one to two feet per year
in optimal conditions
an old family
graveyard, with
handmade markers
even older than
this particular
stand of birches
somehow here
not against the law
not mentioned in the law
at all, these birches
somehow all
arrived exactly
where these graves
are planted
as if someone
had scooped out
the precise handful
of seeds
to cause some graves
to disappear entirely
from the mind
which is
a grave thought
to be sure
