Cleaving the tree

Tree Dream

—for Phuoc-Tan, Diana, Jennifer & Laurie

last night—i dreamed of yggdrasil

the world tree—over on the coast

there I was—in the hoh river rain forest

by a secluded cabin—deep in the woode

i was standing—on this open porch

there with this tree—a huge thick tree

it was a douglas fir—a sky-high tree

it had crevices—with cleaves going up

thru its dark bark—heavy primitive veins

the giant douglas fir look—the world tree

unlike tall cedars—its skin corrugated

and around this fir—flying birds

crows eagles—woodpeckers seagulls

all of them feasting—engorging themselves

in the crevices and—in the old bark cleaves

I looked closer—what were they eating

thousands of slithering—singing cicadas

cicadas crawling—inching their way

up the sides—up the giant douglas fir tree

flocks of hungry birds—thousands of them

feasting themselves—all the singing bugs

the whole forest—full of wings & loudness

singing cicadas—almost deafening

and there i was—in the middle of it

the tree—the birds, the cicadas…

so that’s how—yggdrasil is me

I said to myself—slowly waking up