Woodland Whimsy

In the woodlands outside my window,
There exists a wild stalk
Growing six feet tall
Leafy red and brown
Brick-colored.

The cardinals swoop-landed
Atop and perched
Bouncing up and down.
Like my daddy would me
As a little girl on his knee
Singing the Appalachian tune
Of picking up paw paws.

I remember that feeling–
Frost’s birches,
Inner and outer landscapes
Mixing in the watercolor of my soul.
Nostalgia, grief, and hope,
Oh, to be a cardinal on that stalk!
And be bounced on the knee of the Creator.

By Carmen Brown

Carmen L. Brown is a community college English professor living in East Tennessee. Her work has been published in the The Penwood Review. Voice of Eve, Abbey of the Arts,Tiny Seed Literary Journal, and Academic Exchange Journal. Visit almightyalchemy.wordpress.com to see more of her work.