at the slash yard
a man beside me has a winch
connected to his trailer
and with the push of a single button
a metal sheet moves forward
emptying the whole trailer
in less than ten seconds
I stand in awe
at the ease of this
as I fumble with the tangles
piled in my pickup
of all I have cut
from my wind blown pines
for a moment I am jealous
of the man and his winch
what a thing
to not be scratched
by the needles and the bark
to not have to pull
and yank and curse
what a thing to stand there bored
while the work completes itself
but soon that man is done
and he yawns
and drives off
and I find myself smiling
as a twig loosed from some edge
thwaps me in the face
what a thing too
to be swaddled in such green
to be snapped away by the trees
so I smile as I pull at my pile
trying to loose it
from the pickup’s bed
having to touch
nearly every branch one by one
I suppose I’ll take
this twisted mess
and the joy of working it
to something so easy
take your ease
leave me with my scratches
my sunburn
my sweat
and my smiles

Alexander Shalom Joseph is an award-winning poet, writer and playwright from Gilpin County, and is the author of seven published books. You can find his work and more information about him at alexandershalomjoseph.com.