CEDAR HEART

the way the ax
splits open
the sudden red heart
of cedar

the way it smolders
on the coals
and clouds you in smoke
rising in prayer

the way we burn
and seek
the wood of our yearning
and its body heat

the way the muscle
swollen and purple
bends and crackles
into yellow flame

the way the wind
strikes
with the grain
and splinters the air

the way the sky
accepts our rising
and juniper becomes
the scent of blue


© 2002 by Richard W. Todd

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