OAK TREES

                for Salinas, Mezey, Ginsberg and Dofflemyer

while poets talked, oak trees grew
all around them, grew strong branches
to hold the sky, grew strong roots
to crack roads, grew shiny leaves
to drift into those cracks
            waiting

while poets talked, oak trees grew
all around them, grew mats of twigs
to house small spiders, opened spaces
to nest pairing birds, grew rich acorns
to feed the quiet ghost people
            waiting

while poets talked, grasses sprouted
beneath their feet, lichens crossed
granite outcrops, generations
of animals grazed while poets talked,
and oak trees grew all around them
            waiting