Issue 5:
Wood
Bernadette Geyer
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Lessons for Acorns
To become a tree, you must first
put away your fear of dirt,
shed your loathing of the loaminess
of mushroom plots, plant yourself
deep in fertile ground.
Then, with the patience of mountains,
you must wait
through season after season,
bear the tramplings of fox
and pheasant, until you are sturdy
enough to know you will survive.
After many years,
you will notice you are taller
than the shrubs and ferns
surrounding your trunk.
This means you have become
a protector; never forget
your duty to those in your shade.
As your arms grow skyward,
remember the importance
of flexibility. When heavy snows
weigh upon your limbs,
you will be expected to bend;
but don't be surprised
if there are times when you break.
This is natural.
~Bernadette Geyer
Geyer’s poetry has been published in Mid-America Poetry Review, WordWrights!, Independence Boulevard, and other journals. She also received an award in the 2000 Moving Words Competition. Email.
© 2000 by Bernadette Geyer. All Rights Reserved.
© 2000-2002 by Cayuse Press. All Rights Reserved.
This page updated April 23, 2002.