
for Gerard Manley Hopkins and the kingfishers he saw catch fire
Oak, Elm and Cedar, Pitch Pine, Walnut, Spruce.
Your names, dear friends, must speak and spell this place,
And yet my habits baffle in disuse
Of lips and lungs to lovingly embrace
The shapes of Birch and Beach — of Tulip Tree —
Unmaking ground beneath my feet, beneath
Which grow your roots. Your roots which wend so free
To water deep below, to life, that leaves
May stretch to touch the wispy hems of clouds
Which fringe my all-day sky — but your names,
Your What I do is me, I speak aloud
But seldom, I forget for that you came.
You, friends, in dwelling all around me as a wreath
Go on and bless — from above and from underneath.
You can listen to me read it here
https://on.soundcloud.com/wt3Nw