Pruning

Newly shorn limbs in afternoon sun, pale
pith enclosed in jackets of bark— Yearly

in spring, the tree suffers this offering. 
Really, it's us who bring the bladed teeth  

of pruning saws to bear on an idea of
proliferation. Stores of energy lie in its roots, 

crown, trunk. The principle is the generation 
of more vigorous increase by reducing 

the number of growing points. All shearing 
results in a wound whose closure and healing 

depend on time and the body's immediate 
properties. In summer, after the buds 

unfurl their whole bodies, ripeness
is a beautiful fruit the color of bruise.