Heartwood

these trees are

so much like

our human hearts

content when roots go deep

surviving thin soil by stretching

across the coarse bedrock

the same roots that want for depth

conversing tree to tree

with no regard to age

or classification

shaping their cores

of strong heartwood

when clear water flows

bending to the point

of snapping with each

passing summer storm

and despite the noise

of rustling leaves

the creak of branches

that sometimes crack

in a cold winter's dark

reaching without hesitation for

the sustenance of light