Western Hemlock
how does a forest begin?
what remembrance
takes root quietly and holds
the storm of its bloom?
what is a seed if not a thought?
by what logic do I pulse
seed and matter storms forward,
a moment and its gathering,
out of scale it grows quietly
until I am giant in it.
first reach, earth wants
the sunk knowledge to storm up.
first nothings shaking loose
make and make
where there was
not a world.
JENNIFER K. SWEENEY is the author of five poetry collections, including Fireweed and How to Live on Bread and Music. Read more.