To Cut
Today I spent all day cutting up 50 foot dead trees
and a couple that were long dead
It was cold outside
with 10 or 12 of them
Dry to the core
ready to be burned
they were more than forms
they were hard and resisted being dismembered
fighting back with stinging slaps
It was cold outside
it felt good to be outside, even if it was cold
It felt like being a man, cutting up trees with other men
then using tractors to load them onto trailers
the scraps into a burn pile, still waiting to burn
I liked being with men, cutting up trees
it was like chainsaws
loud laughter
noise
smells
jokes
Like being in the world and alive
Then later
when the other men were gone
it was just
me
cleaning up debris against a setting sun
that hides behind gunmetal grey
with my rake and tractor
with a cold wind and snowflakes
that felt good
because I was working and hot
even though it was cold outside today
