When you decide to fell
the dogwood behind the house,
do it quickly. Saw it at the roots
and watch it fall.
Don't limb the tree -- dropping
first the dead branches, then
the less dead -- and let it stand
alone on that hill, a bare trunk
with two raised arms
cut off at the elbows.
Don't leave it there
naked in the Mississippi heat,
saying one cool morning
you'll finish the job.
