Sapling roots knuckle the earth
as green shoots summon visions
fresh buds line raw creeks.
Water spirits nurture torrents
of white crescendos flooding
down from alpine heights.
Loggers rapped by lusty thumps
of ruffed grouse males courting.
Men stirred by sweet camas scents
and the stippled ooze of raw pitch.
Men shouldering heavy chainsaws
tools revved and roaring to bite.
Stag elk bugle and rut as men
head into the forest; their ears
longing to hear timber! feet ready
to leap aside as giant yellow pines
crash down around them.
Rings marking years of growth
sliced; arteriole flows bled open.
Logs chained and hoisted on trucks
bound for the whine and zip of mills.
Loggers muscling one tree at a time
alive with pitch, burnt oil, and sweat.
-Margaret Koger
Margaret Koger is a school media specialist with a writing habit. She lives near the river in Boise, Idaho. Her father taught her to love trees. She was raised on acreage with a full complement of farm animals and later enjoyed backpacking, whitewater rafting, and camping in the Rockies.