image from treecenter.com
Poem written for and submitted to “Sijo of Good Measure” poetry contest, Hilo Poet, sponsor, November 4, 2025
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Beneath the cracked asphalt, silent roots weave stories in braille~ The maple tree taps Morse Code to the oak’s hollow chamber: It’s midnight again. The starlings are nesting in my crown. Look! The young boy carves his initials—the third time this summer. The Loblolly Pines trade pollen like rumors on dry winds, counting the passing decades in resin tears. Douglas Fir shares the ladybug’s reticent gossip~ how the new highway will sever all of the mycelium’s threads. One Cedar Elm tree remembers hearing axes. Her rings tighten. Ancient Red Oak holds centuries of rain, drought, and fire. At dawn, she hums to the young sapling her old, wise tune: Bend. Grow. Drink the dew. Swallow the light.
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