Once upon a time,

before the time of thous and thees

the unbound text—the ancient song

bloomed pictorially upon the dawn

before the time of thous and thees

and ashes thrown on graveside trees

the green-quilled hearts pooled mysteries

of freckled love and blooming skies

and frogs and widows black and small fry fast 

and lightning bugs

and sunrise which ne’er fails

to whisper tales

of tadpoles born each spring

to green-quilled scribes penning furiously

such chapters—such texts as these

by inkwell streams.

Oh, leaves may fail and suns may set

but spring comes earnest

in sonnets yet

not transcribed by treely deaths

not made into paper yet,

before the time of thous and thees

The Poem bloomed

unbound

upon the tree.