In the woods

I cocked my head / tilting back to see

Hi everyone,

Next door, a lot of trees went down this week. It was fascinating to watch the removal process up close. These were very tall trees, so the workers had to cut off the top branches and lower them into the truck via pulley, then repeat for the trunk in sections. At one point, we were close enough to see the sawdust flying off the chainsaw.

It was also heartbreaking. That yard went from a lush, beautiful grove of woods to a lawn dotted with a handful of smaller trees and wide stumps. I grew up next to those trees, they were part of what defined our block. They were our skyscape. They were old and gorgeous and thick with vegetation, teeming with wildlife.

Today’s poem is dedicated to them.

Rachel

— —

In the woods
I cocked my head
tilting back to see
branches webbed across blue sky
until I grew up
and the trees looked up at me.

— —

One of the trees that was taken down, photo taken in September 2023. This patch of sky is now bare.