tree story #61: Jack and the Redwood
"The forest canopies of the earth are realms of unfathomed nature, and they are largely a mystery." - Richard Preston, "Climbing the Redwoods," The New Yorker
Imagine ascending on ropes, not quite
to heaven; to the Canopy Kingdom where toppled crowns
turn to dust, to soil nourishing upstart leaders,
lichens and featherleaf ferns, huckleberry thickets
rooted in rot.
Gird yourself
in harness, Jack, and not for lumber. Climb
the beanstalk that sprouted when Caesar was a child,
its roots vast as an unseen underworld.
All you know is the trunk, more than 20 feet thick
at the base, rising buttressed, to look out
over a forest in coastal cloud.
Pull yourself up as in fairy-
tale to meet, not slay, this giant
tree. Climb out of his deep green shadow
till you see daylight filtering through the highest
branches, 350 feet above the forest floor.
Now, flop down
in the palm of his hand. Pop a huckleberry
into your mouth and give your host
a seedy grin. He holds you
by the roots.
Taylor Graham
