Christine Phillips Poet Narrative

Headless Tree

I lie on a giant rock in the middle of the river bed
staring at the tree without a head
Dry stump shooting above me
Inviting one another into  their bed
Their nude bodies pressing against each other
hugging and kissing one another
They stand side by side on the river bank
holding and shaking each others hand
and  sucking the energy from the land
Two trees sprouting in the  hot air
looking dry empty and bare
one without a stance and the other without a branch
Adorn with menial clothes on their backs
They stand upright among the crowded pack
With limbs shorter than my  hands
They  stand amid the  guilty ones
waiting on the dreadful decree
All the other trees around them
has branches that cover the vast land
but the headless trees stand  presumptuously
with  naked trunks and no leaves to cover
Their upper torso and bloated knees
They say that silent river run deep
And it is very hard to compete
But  fish are swimming  quietly under my feet
And they are looking for something to eat
The cardinal has returned with a strange beat
It made a loud cry as it flew by
The loggerheads are swimming around
They too have seen something profound
Spring has come and gone 
and the noisy crickets have taken over
It is very hard to see them on the trees
You have to penetrate them very deep
The water stands still in the river
and it appears as if it is not moving
But at the end of the silent river 
you can hear it trickling and gushing over the rocks
The trees have absorb the intense heat 
waiting anxiously on a hasty retreat
The wind is silent too and it cannot break through
Sweat is dripping from my tired face
I wonder why I came to this  dreadful place
I dipped  my hands in the dirty river 
and splash water  all over my face
To cool down this wicked temperature
It feels like hell is brewing in America
The mood is  very somber
and the behavior is improper
The land of milk and honey 
has been reduced to blood money
Trapped in a minefield land
without nothing in my hand
Every night I pray in the dark 
for God to take me to the mark
I got up suddenly and walk along the trail
and there they were waiting for me
close to the roadside under a tree
Three peculiar deers were standing there
A mother deer and her two fawns
looking exhausted curious and sad
As soon as I dew near 
they got excited and scampered away
The river is drying out
and the rocks are swelling in the heat
They are getting bigger and bigger 
and in no time everything will be over
They say that silent river runs deep 
And here I am staring at the headless tree.

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