A Pacific Northwest native, I have been writing poetry over 40 years. My poems reflect a woman’s journey through the later years, with recurring themes of loss and renewal.
MY LIFE IN FIVE TREES
Once I was a beautiful willow,
leafy, graceful, slender, green,
who bent with every passing breeze,
not sure which one to follow.
Next came my madrona years,
sleek and smooth in ruby satin,
leaning heedless from the bank
to kiss the brawny river.
Then I became an apple tree,
bearing chubby, red-cheeked children,
who ran barefoot through the grass
beneath my apron branches.
Now I am an ancient cedar,
marked with winter battle scars,
claw roots dug in like fingernails
to cling to what remains.
But I plan to die a poplar,
to paint my fingers red and gold,
then spread my empty arms above
a legacy of crimson.
To read Cathy’s previous poem published in the NESTER – click here
