The freedom an oak tree knows
That is built at night by stars—Linda Gregg
what human mind can fathom the
slow deliberate tethered freedom
enjoyed or borne by an
august fissure- barked oak
or what the grey- clad tree
standing solitary knows
amid misty green, that
Quercus specimen is
a quiet architecture built
through adding rings at
each season, day and night
nourished by sun and soil, by
time and rain—under a canopy of stars
Since 2012, Carla Manene Cooke has facilitated writing groups in and from her home in Northampton, MA. Her poetry has appeared in the literary journals Emulate, Meat for Tea, Naugatuck River Review, Persimmon Tree, RavensPerch, Silkworm, Starry Starry Kite, and Wordpeace. She’s a wordsmith, freelance copyeditor, and 2022 Pushcart nominee.