"Answering Machinations"
October
The Red Bellied Woodpecker is knocking
out a wall in the stump of a limb
claimed by the wind. There are red
oak woodchips on the ground. The bee
hive is still humming like a dial tone,
so let’s not leave it like that. Your message
is so very important to me, even if its just
a click and buzz, I’ll listen to the silence
you leave after the tone.
November
The beekeeper has removed the bees. The honey
left from their brief stay drips from the hollow;
summer distilled and stored in the dead
heartwood. The line of ants pulses with the word
of food somewhere up there. They move forward
to claim what’s left. It was sweet
of you to call, but I’m not home, so if you have
nothing to say you know the drill ,
leave a tone after this message.
December
The arborist tells me there is nothing I can do,
the roots that have circled the base
will choke this oak eventually and it’s too late
to cut them away. Who knew these cords
that flowed with essential nutrients
would noose the xylem and phloem?
But I have a cell phone now, so I am at home
if I want to be and if I don’t answer, just leave,
after the tone.
© 2006 Sue Kay
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