<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=us-ascii"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div dir="auto" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">Black Oak</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 22px;" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; color: rgb(26, 26, 26);" class="">Black oak stands stark in</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; color: rgb(26, 26, 26);" class="">the gray dawn after</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; color: rgb(26, 26, 26);" class="">a night of rain.</div><p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; color: rgb(26, 26, 26);" class=""> </p><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; color: rgb(26, 26, 26);" class="">Soggy leaves, losing</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; color: rgb(26, 26, 26);" class="">their grip in</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; color: rgb(26, 26, 26);" class="">the buffeting wind, cover</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; color: rgb(26, 26, 26);" class="">the ground beneath</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; color: rgb(26, 26, 26);" class="">the tree like</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; color: rgb(26, 26, 26);" class="">a brown blanket.</div><p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; color: rgb(26, 26, 26);" class=""> </p><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; color: rgb(26, 26, 26);" class="">Do you, too, cling this way when the wind blows?</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; color: rgb(26, 26, 26);" class="">Do you, too, tumble and twist against your life, weakening</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; color: rgb(26, 26, 26);" class="">the only tie you have ever known?</div><p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; color: rgb(26, 26, 26);" class=""> </p><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; color: rgb(26, 26, 26);" class="">And when you release at last,</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; color: rgb(26, 26, 26);" class="">when you float and fall into that leafy mat,</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; color: rgb(26, 26, 26);" class="">is it the grief of loss you feel?</div><p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; color: rgb(26, 26, 26);" class=""> </p><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; color: rgb(26, 26, 26);" class="">Or will you find your way content into the dark dirt,</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; color: rgb(26, 26, 26);" class="">that grand microbial feast, nurturing with</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; color: rgb(26, 26, 26);" class="">your precious body</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; color: rgb(26, 26, 26);" class="">the deep mother root?</div><p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; color: rgb(26, 26, 26);" class=""> </p><p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; color: rgb(26, 26, 26);" class=""> </p><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; color: rgb(26, 26, 26);" class=""><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>- Barton Stone</div></div></body></html>