When you get off the boat
your perception changes
You watch things more closely

Like my beloved old tree dying
I never imagined it would become dangerous

There was no silent scream from it
only the buzz of the chain saw
that sounded like thank you

The sky is now open
and I can see the cranes more clearly
flying west

Selected byNolcha Fox
Image credit:Chris Briggs

I am a retired entomologist/educator and have been writing poetry for a long time. It's only been in the last few years that I have taken it a little more seriously. I have written hundreds of poems, but still don't consider myself to be an accomplished poet. I keep trying through writing to find new perspectives that reveal the layers of meaning that are always there, just below the surface of the obvious. Some of the poets who have influenced me are W.S. Merwin, Ted Hughes, Dylan Thomas, and Galway Kinnell. However, lately, I agree with what the Poet Laureate Kay Ryan said: "I have tried to live very quietly, so I could be happy...It seems like many people think that if you drive yourself crazy, then you can write. I wanted to see what a fortunate life would produce. What writing would come out of this mind that didn't try to torment itself."