the dragon in my rock
will never hatch
Author: Dave Bonta
I live in an Appalachian hollow in the Juniata watershed of central Pennsylvania, and spend a great deal of time walking in the woods. My books of poetry include FAILED STATE: HAIBUN, ICE MOUNTAIN: AN ELEGY, BREAKDOWN: BANJO POEMS, and ODES TO TOOLS.
witch hazel
sun shriveling
in effigy
gall
When I was a Buddha, my radiant body rang like a bell.
a gall wasp’s
empty oak apple
gone to seed
moonrise
shadows open
their wings
evening sun
showing me where to dig
Dad’s grave
sapless trees
I’m already passing
that distant lake
deserted trail
dead leaves rising up
to dance
bright graffiti
through the autumn hills
this freight
wilderness peak
checking my phone
for a signal
leaves falling
through low sun
a yellow-shafted flicker
woodbine
gone to seed
a traveler’s joy
shapes in the clouds
a lone kayaker raising her phone
