Laura Rodley, a Pushcart Prize winner, has been nominated for the prize seven times and has also received five Best of the Net nominations. Her recent works include Turn Left at Normal (published by Big Table Publishing Company), Counter Point (published by Prolific Press), and Ribbons and Moths: Poems for Children (published by Kelsay Books). With a talent for capturing the essence of life, Rodley’s writing resonates with readers of all ages. Whether exploring the natural world or delving into human emotions, her words evoke a sense of wonder and connection. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PClY8G6HQwk

I’ve Been Told

By Laura Rodley

Somewhere in the woods
is a house leaning
within a beech tree,
branches thick as elephant legs,
one branch you step on from the second story
much as stepping upon a gray elephant’s trunk,
and then you perch your feet on each
of the other offered branches as steps
descending to the front door
with a porch, shoes lined beside the door
that one can knock on if they wish,
a well-worn beige rush mat lying fallow,
and then with your hands mount
the branches once more to shimmy
down to the open palm of the beech,
its branches rising like fingers, full house,
and as your sneakers meet the palm
the beech holds you in its cool embrace,
no other word for it, its calm cool assurance
and then you slide down the last four feet
to the solid ground and leave.
I must find this tree
and knock at the stranger’s door.