Empty Nests in Leafless Trees

Guriel, Jason (1978)

Original Text

Jason Guriel. Pure Product. Montréal, Québec: Véhicule Press, 2009.

1embarrass the bare limbs

2that still bear them,

3especially at sunset

4when leafless trees become

5their silhouettes

6and empty nests

7tend to stand out

8like mashed clots

9in a fine mesh of capillaries

10or ink blots

11in failed calligraphy—

12those spots

13where nibs have bled

14into the fibre.

15Actually, I lied.

16Empty nests in leafless trees

17aren't similes

18or metaphors

19or, for that matter,

20even matter.

21They're black holes

22that sucked their birds

23inside.

RPO poem Editors

Jim Johnstone

RPO Edition

2013

Special Copyright

Poem used with permission of the author.