take the leaf of a tree
trace its exact shape
the outside edges
and inner lines
memorize the way it is fastened to the twig
(and how the twig arches from the branch)
how it springs forth in April
how it is panoplied in July
by late August
crumple it in your hand
so that you smell its end-of-summer sadness
chew its woody stem
listen to its autumn rattle
watch it as it atomizes in the November air
then in winter
when there is no leaf left
invent one
Image credit: "Bougainvillea Leaf in Yellow," "developed [from a photograph] using photo editing software," by Marion Boddy-Evans (originally color).
How a Poem Came to Be
ReplyDeleteAn inauspicious lump of gravel
tossed in the tumbler,
turned, turned,
until gleaming smooth,
handsome moss agate
admired and mounted
on a new bolo tie slide.
A thing of pride and beauty.
But how much more did it yearn
to be a geode
struck once just so,
split to reveal
the perfect,
dazzling crystal.
--Patrick Murfin
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