The memory of trees
I wrote a letter to you
signed dated folded
and put it in the cleft
of the branches of a tree
I made sure to touch a leaf
pinch it gently so the tree
would retain
this epigenetic marker
in this way it carries us
into its future
and I do not have to cut
hearts and initials
instead this gentle wound
is not demonstrative
or ostentatious and although
you may never know
and the letter may be lost
it is something that the tree
and I will remember
each in our own way
Jim Bennett has written 74 books and numerous chapbooks and pamphlets in a 48 year career as a poet. Jim lives near Liverpool in the UK and tours giving readings of his work throughout the year. He is widely published and has won many competitions and awards for poetry and performance. He runs www.poetrykit.org one of the world’s most successful internet sites for poets.