Jeffrey Park

She doesn't go walking

in the woods these days,

says she can feel the trees leaning

way out over her

on both sides of the path,

sap pounding.

She's become arborophobic

in her middle years. When I sent

her a picture postcard from

the petrified forest

she cried for three days

straight and told me I was as

hard-hearted as those sad,

misplaced frozen giants

could ever be.