Mercy Tolentino Steenwyk

“Stately, dark recesses
deeper
darker
shielded from the sun
by day
cradled by the silhouette
by night
someone, someone
a machete, a pulley
hacked up and down
left and right and left
now trimmed and slimmed
all stories caught in the wind
i saw some falling with a scream
some with a thud
others forcefully clinging to earth
digging
deeper
until synchrony
floated in the air
the tiny birds
sought no refuge
the hawks flew by
the little branches
poised for the prayer
a stranger to its own.”