Sylvia and the man
trees don't have feelings
he said as he drew the knife
across the rough bark
and the clear sticky sap
ran down
and bleed out.
she watches silently
the irony of the love heart he draws
makes her grimace.
tacky and meaningless.
she has grown still
rooted to the spot.
He kisses her
but it is not a real kiss
because her lips are as wooden as the heart
he thinks is now his to carve out.
She watches as he leaves
trudges away
only time is forever she thinks.
It is autumn now
and all her pretenses have fallen away.
She retreats into the forest
and silently watches the world
reaches her hands to the sky and tries to embrace the light
and heal the hollow spot in her soul he whittled away.
He never thought the love he felt
could wither and die
never thought he couldn't reshape their problems
change her
but maybe those flowering feelings
were never love
unnatural and wrong, he thinks.
because people can't love trees.
trees don't have feelings.