Warming Up
The trees have stood for years, and chemical messages travel from tree to tree. Each tells the others when bugs attack, so they will make the repellents they have concocted over the years of chemical history.
Can they tell the others of fires? It would likely be too late. Some species survive with corky bark, while others burn, making room for more trees.
Today, the chainsaws are warming up. The fire in their engines will spin a blade to chew away bark and heartwood. At the sawmill, they will become boards.
Previously published on Substack.
https://rayzimmerman.substack.com/p/prose-poems
The trees have stood for years, and chemical messages travel from tree to tree. Each tells the others when bugs attack, so they will make the repellents they have concocted over the years of chemical history.
Can they tell the others of fires? It would likely be too late. Some species survive with corky bark, while others burn, making room for more trees.
Today, the chainsaws are warming up. The fire in their engines will spin a blade to chew away bark and heartwood. At the sawmill, they will become boards.
Previously published on Substack.
https://rayzimmerman.substack.com/p/prose-poems
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