Riff On Diane Hines, To Love A Tree Poem by David McLansky

I cling to your rough bark
And feel you sway glad of the dark,
I note the wideness of your girth
You’ve put on weight since your birth;

We are the victim of a prank,
Can I be honest with you and frank,
I loved you better in human form,
I clasp your trunk and grind and mourn.

Zeus was taken by you beauty
You scorned him mindful of your duty
Faithful to your marriage vows,
So he transformed you into a cow;

And as a bull he tried to mount
You from the back, your haunches stout,
So you squatted down on your udders
And suggested he seek another,

And in a rage, in a lightening storm
Once more he transformed your chaste form
And turned you into a beechnut tree
Which saved your honor but frustrates me