Roman Bobek

When a tree dies,

my grandfather tells me
I won't notice because
it will stand for many years. 

Yes, I’ll notice the bark wrinkling,
the mossy scruff fraying,
but it’s been old ever since
I was born,
and long before that. 

Yes, I’ll notice fewer and fewer leaves,
but its body will still bend in the wind,
humming a song in
that language I can’t understand,
that language that beats beneath my tongue. 

And one day, I’ll notice the morels
lying at its feet and think
it’s gathered them all just for me,
but when I peer into
the hollows and call its name,

only the birds will answer.

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Roman Bobek is a poet from Medford, Oregon living in the Czech Republic. He majored in Creative Writing & English at The George Washington University where he received the Vivian Nellis Memorial Prize.