Paper Birch

 

Can you see the

whiteness of the

bark

the grey gashes resembling

pencil marks

the decoration of

nature’s own hand

better than any

skilled artist

 

and you drink  the

sweet wine of design

your weary eyes

rest upon its beauty

the branches split

and become the

trunk

 

a tree

that resides in the north

of North America

Betula papyifera

the scientists call

      you

it does not

matter the sunlight

kisses the green

of  your

pear shaped

sharp toothed

serrated leaves

i weep for the

treasure

you are

and the freedom

you possess

no one will

ever discriminate

against

you for the color

of your skin

 

let the sheets

of paper peel

off your skin

thick reams of

bark resembling

newspapers

with lines of

pink within

 

                  6/26/2021