Max -thanks Yup think my roots are pretty exposed :-)
-----Original Message-----
From: Poetryetc: poetry and poetics [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
Behalf Of Max Richards
Sent: 18 January 2011 23:18
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: snap: pine nuts
Pine Nuts
The big dead old pine tree
near the park entrance
came down in yesterday's gale,
taking down power lines with it -
ŒThe outage in Doncaster East
should be repaired by 3 p.m.¹
The fire brigade came in case.
The power company sent several
Teams. Before our ice cream had time
to melt, power came back on. But
the great heaps of branches!
cordoned off by plastic tape.
Today inspecting the huge wreck,
its pitiful roots exposed,
I meet a couple, old like me.
She says ŒWe kids used to climb
this tree for pine-nuts. Our house
was just over there.¹ ŒThe one
with the grand front verandah?¹
I ask. ŒYes, and to think
the council wouldn¹t save the house
from developers.¹ It was heritage,
we agreed. And the tree? ŒWell, I¹m
seventy-one so more than a hundred,
the tree.¹ We patted its hoary trunk,
took our heritage selves home
before the next gale could test our roots.
Max Richards
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