Rain like lace. I hate this weather
for its consistency.
My heart is temperamental
as a leaf, it turns
and turns and drops
at anything. Scientists think
that red pigments lower
the freezing point of leaves,
keep them viable for longer
with the heat of anger. Or,
having fallen, that anthocyanins
leach out to poison
the roots of any competition—
such ugliness begat
by beauty.
And at the base
of every leaf, an abscission
layer, for cold-induced
dehiscence, the tree closing off
from what it once needed.
Deciduous. Deciduous, meaning
jealous of permanence,
but it’s getting so cold out—
The seal begins to form.
OPTIONAL POETRY 
Great Picture
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Thanks!
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welcome
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excellent; the language of science closing around the open wound, clinic-clean words ignoring the raw flesh of solitariness; truly an addendum to Plath’s elm
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Raw flesh of solitariness– yes. Not sure about an addendum though, maybe a footnote, or an aspiring bookmark!
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Personification at its best.
Awesome poem.
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Thank you, Tiegan!
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You’re always making me look up words. An totally worth it.
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Thanks! I really like dehiscence and other words learned from clinic 🙂
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It’s a great word!
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Great poem. The last four lines are perfect. A poem in and of themselves.
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Thanks, Jeff!
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