One Eighteen Outside - July 24, 2023

I step out and think

I hear the trees talking or

maybe that’s the wheezy exchange

of hot air through their stomas

yeah probably not conversing

in this heat

without complaining

what would there be to say

in the middle of suffering

I’m sure their effort is spent

digging for that steely resolve

to just hold on with

slow measured breaths

maybe use them like a mantra

to withdraw to a quiet place

or perform a prayer of mercy

whispered at a cloudless horizon

as I look around

it’s hard to tell

what’s going on

with so many heads bowed