Tree Book (leaf through)
turning over the leaves
of a book
turning over the leaves
of trees
counting leaves
(trees don’t count leaves) : φυλλομέτρημα
I count the leaves on the trees
trees !
shedding leaves — a
pouring
of leaves : φυλλόρροια
I shed leaves
trees ! : φυλλορροώ ?
phyllorrow - orrow
s
your flower morphologies
flower body
counting sorrows
your flower handling
behandling
be holding
when you were a flower
you found
a tree
completely replaced
vein by vein by
sand [petrified]
when you were a flower
completely replaced by
sound
what sound a leaf makes
falling
empty sound full of visible
clattering
in my finger lodged a sliver
of a tree
from the wood I burned
to keep warm
worrying the flesh
the splinter
telling me
I was once tree!
Video by Courtney Stephens
“falling down is a transition I offer you” —leaf
ELENI SIKELIANOS is a poet, writer, and "a master of mixing genres.” Your Kingdom (Coffee House Press, 2023) is her tenth book of poetry, riding alongside two memoir-verse-image-novels. Read more.
COURTNEY STEPHENS is a writer/director of non-fiction and experimental films. Read more.