Those Trees

by Wayne F. Burke / May 5th, 2024

the trees in the woods
are silent; it is a subterfuge
their remaining so quiet–knowing
they cannot run from the
ax, or escape the fire…
At night I hear them
whispering to each other in a language
of consonants, no vowels:
“shish,” and “shush” they say, and
the river understands–
it speaks in a language from
the same family branch–
but I do not.

Wayne F. Burke's poetry has been widely published online and in print (including in Dissident Voice). He is the author of eight published full-length poetry collections -- most recently Black Summer, 2021, Spartan Press. He lives in Vermont (USA). Read other articles by Wayne F..

This article was posted on Sunday, May 5th, 2024 at 8:02am and is filed under Poetry.