By Carla Manene Cooke
I am from northeastern woods
from leafy shade in summer
stark gray bark in winter
I am from skunk cabbage
first green in vernal lowlands
I am from spring ephemerals
bloodroot and wild ginger
trillium and Jack-in-the-pulpit
I am from swamp-spawned
mosquitoes that swarm in clouds
around my head—must keep pace
climbing those wooded hills
or suffer their blood-sucking needles
I am from fiery fall colors—crimson oak
yellow birch, maples blazing red and gold
rustling kaleidoscope of fallen leaves
I am from trudging through knee-deep snow
hauling sap to boil over wood-fueled fires
Sunday breakfasts with sweet syrup
carefully poured—plate licked clean so as
not to waste a single spectacular drop
Since 2012, Carla Manene Cooke has facilitated writing groups in and from her home in Northampton, Massachusetts. Her poetry appears in the literary journals Emulate, Silkworm, Persimmon Tree, Meat for Tea, Starry Starry Kite, Naugatuck River Review, and Wordpeace. She is a freelance copy editor, wordsmith, and 2022 Pushcart nominee.