As the limbs bend
with the weight of the leaves
sodden with rain

I am reminded
how rooted I am
to the ground of my being—

to the saturated moss
with its little streams
seeping into the earth,

to the dirt and mud
caking the soles of my boots,
to the sound of the wind.

I am reminded
as I touch, re-touch
this lichen-covered stone

how deep down I am growing,
inch by cellular inch
into my father’s bones.

Published in the July 7, 2017 issue: View Contents
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John Perrault is the author of The Ballad of Louis Wagner (Peter Randall Publisher), Here Comes the Old Man Now (Oyster River Press), and Jefferson’s Dream (Hobblebush Books). His poems have appeared in the Christian Science Monitor, Blue Unicorn, Orbis, and elsewhere. He was Portsmouth, NH, Poet Laureate 2003–2005. www.johnperrault.com

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