Now the black oaks flaunt
Their specificity of place:
North side, sill kernaling tight;
Eastern ridge, alizarin buds fat as fingertips;
South slope, tufts of ragged chartreuse ears
Listen the green wind.
Pooled in sodden umber,
Rain-beaten,
Snow-felted,
Last season’s leaves
Are blurring
Losing specificity.
Great undulations of the year—
Parts up-thrusting, unfurling,
Some diving deep
On the black, moldy undertow
Of Earth.
