Hemlock Lullaby
– Tina Mozelle Braziel
Hush-a-bye, Payne Creek
shushers along, water still
falls, sends soft taps down
the bend. Hush-a-bye, minnows
sidle round stone, ferns stitch
ledges, and turkey-fans scallop
logs. Hush-a-bye, butterflies
scatter yellow, light glances
off creek, so this bluff
screens the classic flick
how sunlight met water.
Hush-a-bye, hickory and pine
carry sky, my fronds hold
an ice age of cool. Feel how
I break heat domes. Hush-a-bye.
Rest. It is resilience. Hush
now, I need you by and by.
