Member Poem

As Legends Go

As legends go,
it took root in her spine
grew like hair upon her head
paralyzed she watched it
growing through her arms
and into her hands,
replacing fingers with
small branches

Once this land was fertile,
In time, people came
and prospered, and created
a great city, where all
faiths were welcome,
the growth of technology,
then the return of anarchy,
a final devastating war.

She imagines herself as Gaia,
keeper of the bank of time,
her people's histories stored,
as bark & xylem meld
with flesh and blood,
a living record in her cells,
whorl-layered.

One day, she will stand,
stretch her limbs taut,
to a sky of glorious blue,
and the planet shall again
be resplendent with life --
an impossible fantasy,
as legends go.