i fed these poplars art and poetry. i fed them newton’s laws of motion, and fermat’s last theorem. i fed them leonard cohen and paul desmond. i fed them the taste of coffee and the smell of winter woodsmoke. i fed them the feel of a linen shirt and the sound of lake superior against its northern shore. they drank it all up, and look how they’re thriving.

poplar saplings

saint paul, minnesota