torri blue | poet, essayist, autist.

I am not dainty.
I am not a rose.
My hips are wide and heavy-rooted,
my limbs are thick.

My trunk is solid steady.
I am a maple,
a heft of a presence and
of still and
of quiet and song.

I do not cast a shadow
but shade.
Rest, I pray says my body
to those who seek me for shelter.

Live, I pray say I
to the fledglings who
cling to my sides and
hide in my crooks and
nest in my crown.