Don't Say Tree
Don't say tree --
say maple
and locust
and oak. Say
red-breasted
grosbeak and
indigo
bunting. Say
cumulus
and horsetail.
The river
has a name.
Say it. Each
green thing does.
Don't say weed
or flower --
say creeping
charlie. Say
peony.
Say maple
again, oak,
loust, elm,
and jackpine.
say beauty
by its name.
_____________________
Tom Montag
Seventy at Seventy
MWPH Books
2019
