by John Palen
Chased from maples
by a stiff wind,
they rattle on the roof,
drift down on what was once
tall-grass prairie.
The lawn I raked yesterday
is half covered again.
Fifteen kraft bags
lean against the garage,
and the giant lindens
haven't even started.
How could there be
so many, when all we did
was plant some trees?
John Palen's Open Communion: New and Selected Poems was published by Mayapple Press in 2005. He has work forthcoming in Gulf Stream, Jelly Bucket, Honey Land Review and elsewhere. He lives in Central Illinois.
_____________________________________________________