Tenpenny

a copper tenpenny nail lodged in split
bark. once removed, the body
remembers how to run — no
longer rooted, though a faint limp
lingers. sap stitching the scar.

a framing hammer dropped at
the foot of the tree.
hickory among alder — oil-darkened
from handling, half-buried in ferns.
rungs up the trunk. no treehouse.

hardware only rings when tapped —
a clean, silver tone. the hand
takes the blame. the head buried.
trade the hammer for bucket of ash,
scattered through the wood, paths laid.

in the ward, in the wild, the same instinct:
make tonic of adjectives.
held to the light, juniper drawn off,
thin layers worked into the grain,
patience renders another ring — a drought year.