A chestnut girl once fell

            from her limbless perch;

To light upon my heart’s

            green and cool favor.

Whereupon, my earthful search

            began to absorb and savor

                        into the wealth of my estate

                                    of dirt,

Every taste

            and flavor.

I never took, but what she gave

            and took no more than what I gave her.

Nor when she pushed her roots in me

            did I once buckle
or waver.

Nor did I attempt to desert,

            but grew to expect her weight;

And in time,

            began to crave her.

Hence, took every means

            to protect her from fate.

But in the end,

            no force I could exert

                        was destined to save her

 

Now, when the rains come,

            I have no support;

And wash in tiny rivers

            a plaything of brutal water sport.

                        I recede

                                    and recoil

                        in canyons

                                    and ridges

                        cut deep into the soil.

For, she and her companions,

            vanquished, have vanished

                        from the prodigious

                                    and faithful land;

And in their passing have banished

            my soul to mere sand.

 

                                                                                                           

Fall 1995