speaking in moss
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.
Appalachian spring
the pale green sugar
maples’ sun
Dutchman’s breeches
trembling in the breeze
of passing trucks
unfinished
with its commitments
living stump
pole timber
going on and on
about class
all that effort
to pose as a corpse
wake-robins
spring cleaning
in the wilderness
of a broom
shack
in the forest
the footfalls of moss
sunset
filling my mug
spring peepers
climbing the mountain
a new cloud
almost in bloom
April wood turtle
seeking shade
within
hepaticas
the mountain’s timeless
spring fashions
