My heart roams this wild landscape
in search of a vanished childhood.
I had last seen her walking along this
sandy loam path that cuts between
two pines. There she walked farther
up to the clearing now overgrown
with poison oak. Thistle had not
snagged her gauzy skirt in those
days of childhood wonder. Deer
tracks were recognizable, and scrub
jay feathers were to be found and
tucked into skirt pockets. But now,
even as smoke clouds the horizon,
I find only the rust of pine cones,
a half-eaten bird, and a snake that
choked and died on another
snake's head.
fall forest deer path
I follow heart-shaped deer tracks
still seeking her soul
is that honeysuckle, jasmine or poison oak?
If I get too close to it to take a photo, will it be a problem?
I get a teensy bit closer, because I want a great photograph.
My sister does not have to respond to my text.
I am itching all over the place without even touching it.
Do not ask for roses, dear
Be they pink or white or red
I'll give you something more sincere
Like poison oak instead.
Witch Hazel
There once was a witch named Hazel
Mistook poison oak for sweet basil
She finally conceded
New glasses, she needed,
For Halloween spells reappraisal
In the tangle of wood
Delighted by the scent of earth rich warmth
Of forest floor fusion
The carpet of needles dance with the rhythm of your step
And lead you to its tranquility
Its crisp crackle permeates the air
With the timeless recital of fragrant decay
The seasonal bliss of showering fall
The ebb of wistful breezes
To capture the languishing ambler
In the lofty rafters of noble trees
With twisted limb and breaking branch
Fashioned in vespers of a pervading sky
The ageless reverence of green boughs
Embraces the worship of the Peacemaker
Virtuous vines cling and spiral around ancient rock
Manzanita converges with poison oak
Amaranth trails entwine the spirit
Kept in the moment of ambient harmony
So walk with me through the forest
Free to be your essential self
Impervious to all
Except the beauty and wisdom within
mountain top
i feel the lack of oxygen
stiller than a mannequin
atmosphere a reading lens
the smell of my heating skin
I can dodge the poison oak
jumped off the tallest rock
look into the heart of pools
almost heard the meadow talk
the silence speaks
language of the higher plane
echoes from a time before
buzzing in the summer rain
sierra: spine of the wild west
the red dust never settled
free lands never rest
moves beyond a human eye
motions set from centuries
beyond the moment presently
a lonely souls pleasantries
finite: this time is bittersweet
as far as eyes can see
the history is deep
yet mountains barely weep
unmovable and defining
a significance is made
down the rocky grades
life flooding our plains
we forever wish to tame
I fed the wild red cardinals
A special mix of seeds
They dropped them in my herb garden
Which now grows mostly weeds
Like bramble briars and poison
Oak with deadly effects
Upon the gardener's allergic skin
Which now is itchy specked
I have been trying to do a little care in my flowering plants beds.
Well, there is five sisters and poison oak growing plus bramble
briars..I am very allergic to poison oak..I have about decided
that I need to get a professional person to come in and dig
it all up and let us restart with some new plants..Now what
professional will come in to clear out poison oak???
Green, green,
snarkly, crinkly leaf,
scrub oak green.
Green, green,
sloppy stuff hanging from
a duck's bill green.
Green, green,
jump the fence by the
No Trespassing sign into
a field of green.
Green, green,
up to your ankles in mud
hidden by green.
Green, green,
don't forget about
poison oak green.
Green, green,
phosphorescent, iridescent,
hit by scattered sunlight green.
Green, green,
in the spring time,
all is promise, what
could go wrong green?
Green, green,
fill in here,
your favorite green!
Green, green,
in a hawk's eye,
circling high green.
Green, green,
touch my soul,
green.
Cupid spotted me
From quite far away
A round little fellow
Boisterous unfettered sway
Upon his head
A crown of poison oak
A simple dress of
Toga and a cloak
His arrows were
A putrid green
Quite unlike the
Stories and photos I had seen
He fitted an arrow
To his little bow
Set for my direction
But little did I know
I felt it pierce my heart
It knocked me to the ground
Laughter and tears
A truly hapless clown
No love I felt
Remorse and pain
Loss and grief
Nothing to gain
But why had he
Done this?
Where had he gone?
Should I take a pill
To bring me up?
Or simply stay down?
Who do I ask?
Where do I go?
Explain this to my Dr.?
I would say no
Hallucination a majic
Mushroom trick
I truly don't know
I only took a lick
How come when I was a little, It seemed my life was better,
No fears and a warm sweater,good years thrown down the shredder,
stay clear of the cold weather, adhere for the home wrecker,
My fears began to bloom,
Because Dad went looney toons,
Throwing shoes at my mommy In The living room
Pullin hair, breaking chairs, unaware, he didnt end there,
my veins throb, screamin stop but he could not stop,
I thought it'd end soon But we never called the cops,
All These hard knocks got my food box in bigger knots than King kongs rocks,
Is this all Gods plot to bring me from the bottom all the way to the top,
I balled everyday, 250 shots,
just to block those sick thoughts that start to provoke,
this rope to choke, this is no joke, its poison oak,
I would sit and mope and let this sin evoke,
go drive a in a ditch, and hope its a tree that I hit
There are many road maps
As they are called these days
Today everyone has a road map
Under their dream pillow
It makes you sleep more relaxed
And you always wake up refreshed
Give peace a chance
Only violent people need a rest
Killing was always a reasonable option
Who washed the blood
Off the fields?
And collected roses from dead hands?
May be I was one of them
And died of poison oak
Prematurely
You came back, demand rent of my heart
act like it was nothing, again we can just restart.
You don’t hear a single word I say
even when I have nothing left to give away.
My broken bones beg for mending
for they know just what you are intending.
You’re leaving me no room to breathe
around my heart place your poison oak wreath.
I tell myself to stop this, you’re nothing that I need
for I know I can’t forever satisfy your greed.
But I believe you’re not ok, so I will never go too far
I’ll be the light across your sky, a moment’s shooting star,
I’ll breathe in the space where there is no air,
I will walk with broken bones, much to their despair.
You demand rent again on my heart
take yourself into their rafters, let the decay start.
And I don’t know why I fight for you this way
when you leave my heart in the open to oxidize and decay
Swinging Like Tarzan
Splintering into my vein
The Poison Oak vine
By Robb A. Kopp
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