Windstorm by John Brantingham

I left California 

in its season of death. 


9 of the last 10 years 

were drought years, 


and the week I left 

a windstorm pulled down 


hundreds of trees 

in my town. 


Where I am now, 

there is water enough 


for every tree and deer 

and person and crow, 


and there is no difference 

I can see in the crows here. 


In the early evening, 

sometimes I look west 


to see if I can spot Mt. Whitney 

just over the curve of the earth. 


Sometimes the birds

call across the woods, 


telling us all 

their secret, ancient truths.

About the Poet:

John Brantingham was Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks’ first poet laureate. His work has been featured in hundreds of magazines. He has twenty-one books of poetry, memoir, and fiction including his latest, Life: Orange to Pear (Bamboo Dart Press) and Kitkitdizzi (Bamboo Dart Press). He lives in Jamestown, New York.