How Trees Must Feel

I think I finally know how trees must feel
Who after years of floating seeds on hope
Land one, smack dab, in such a lap of mud
That the soft thud sends shudders of relief
Through every stem, each trembling petiole.
And all the clapping leaflets in the dome,
And all the vessels, xylem, ray and phloem,
Must feel the thrill from root to canopy
Of having landed one nut perfectly!

—Fascinated by language, particularly the metaphor, Chris Longenecker, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, has memorized, studied, and practiced  writing poetry most of her life. Whether love of trees or love of poetry came first for Chris would be impossible to say. This poem is excerpted from her first collection of poems, How Trees Must Feel (Cascadia/DreamSeeker Books, 2011).