Some words for the week

the tree I can see from my table

the one I try not to hit

when I back up my truck

in the morning

on the way to work

the one with some scarred bark

in the shape of my hitch

from the few times I’ve failed

fell over in the wind storm

and I am lucky

because it fell north

instead of onto the truck

or my house

and as I eat breakfast

I look out with grief at its roots

caked in dry dirt

a carcass of a thing

I once thought of

as a nuisance

but now suffer to see dead

its branches shattered

over the melting snow

Alexander Shalom Joseph is a writer from Gilpin County. He is a published author. For more information and to subscribe to Alexander’s Newsletter go to alexandershalomjoseph.com