Wood Sculpture

Wood Sculpture

WHAT FELLED YOU is important
in some way. Not the thud
of the fall that broke up
your tender limbs. But the sound
of your longing for me
to find fissures and gouge
around in search of stronger
places in sturdy parts.
Something could be made out
of all this bulk. Prune off
fragile boughs, remove the bark,
soften the smooth of such pale
sub-skin that has hidden through
a thousand gales, and upright
until this last one. It is
not the last. But lie still
while I rub on tung oil, still
and I'll tatoo mine next
to old initials in deep
grain and story rings, rings
layer by layer smoothed
and oiled, now freshly marked
in bold, blonde letters surrounded
by a simple jackknifed heart.

Linda Hogan