Pine Forgives You Once
Pine forgives you once
What oaks endure with patient sorrow.
Because of her,
The slip, the gouge of tool,
The heavy hand plunged into the heart of wood.
Because of her
These repetitious applications of sand
Have moved away my fingertips
Skin by skin.
As I work, I wonder
Will she ever touch my wounds,
My heart, with her telephoned tongues
Of emery and file,
And I wonder will the pine forgive me soon
For the accidents of inattention
While she does her nails
Finishing with a final look,
On the way to growing her life
Away from these near trees.
High up, over the ridge,
The pines are old
And have knots of iron
Outlasting even fire.
Pine forgives you once
What oaks endure with patient sorrow.
Because of her,
The slip, the gouge of tool,
The heavy hand plunged into the heart of wood.
Because of her
These repetitious applications of sand
Have moved away my fingertips
Skin by skin.
As I work, I wonder
Will she ever touch my wounds,
My heart, with her telephoned tongues
Of emery and file,
And I wonder will the pine forgive me soon
For the accidents of inattention
While she does her nails
Finishing with a final look,
On the way to growing her life
Away from these near trees.
High up, over the ridge,
The pines are old
And have knots of iron
Outlasting even fire.
