Early Winter You Stand in a Forest (JG)
You hear the wind knocking long shadows done up into ribbons the hollow sound a stick against a log the mud firming, the wind dries it more than the sun, more than two weeks in July, just the wind moving some You hear a scratching you wonder and decide a bush maybe Forsythia brushing an oak elm some tree in the stand nearby you say twelve weeks from now they'll be in bloom, yellow flowers coming up soft paper but now just wind if you had a kite you'd stand with your back to the wind, release it, watch it move like a wave of birds (say sparrows, sparrows are cheap) you wonder has the heat of the last few days loosened the trees, greased their limbs so now with this wind they move like waves I'm sure it's not from here this wind here the wind is quiet says please asks for butter with its bread But this wind is too much even for some birds they stay out of it sure wait it out behind trees and