Maples Helicopters litter our porch and our neighbor’s driveway like puzzle pieces scattered on a table, varied sizes, different shades of same hue, impossible to spot how they fit together, how in their seed propeller, they hold the force to propagate, sow mini elm trees across our yard - twiggy stalks will grow into sturdy trunks of corrugated bark, limbs of leafy millions, more and more helicopters whirling, little elm embryos in search of a womb, life so tender, so delicate, so stubborn. © Kathy Smaltz 2023 Kathy Smaltz’s poems have been published in numerous journals and she has one poetry collection, Pieces. A VCCA creative fellow, she served as Prince William County’s Poet Laureate from 2016-2018. In her free time, she enjoys spending time outdoors with her family – hiking and writing nature poems.
30 for 30 is sponsored by Potomac Review
wonderful and prescient
I love it, Kathy! Everybody calls those helicopters. And it brings back memories of childhood. Thank you.