Poem Shadows of the Madrone

Shadows of the Madrone

Summer teases glistening waves

while the madrone stands in silent watch

weaving through the air in lime green and rust red

An orca surfaces breaking the calm

with shouts of welcome

“Look before it is gone!” And then summer is.

Mist rolls in off the water blanketing the land in grey

papery red curls litter the damp ground

beneath twisted skeletal arms of the madrone

bleached white branches

breaking through the living

moss slowly covers with the return of dripping skies

Perfect white flowers in spring

the scent of the forest bright in the air

brilliant berries in fall, a raven settles from flight

None of that is seen now

sinuous shadows spreading, curving, twisting, reaching

while seals pop their heads up

beneath the madrone