Martin Willits, Jr.

WHITE PINE
(Pinus Strobus)

The White Pine was spared
house construction, and survived
a forest fire by a quickly dug trench.

Now it suffers
from white pine blister rust.
I can hear the weevils feasting.

This disease traveled a quarter mile
ignoring all the other trees in its path,
and now it attacks from within, like cancer.

I could do something about the rust.
I could cut down this pine and spare it
from a life of misery.

But my wife who had a mound for a belly
asked, is this what you would do
if our child is deformed?

For a while, longer than I realize,
I cannot move, my shadow is misshapen,
inside I feel weevils feasting.

* * *

SIAMESE TWINS

Ours is a unique relationship.
Some twins claim they can feel
whatever pain their twin feels
miles away like they were connected
by invisible telephone lines.

I know exactly what my twin is thinking,
because we share the same brain.
Our heads are always literally together,
and sometimes one of us is dreaming
while the other is alert to danger.

We share everything, even our privacy.
We are forced to move the same direction
even when we want to go our separate ways.
I love to whisper; but my other half shouts.

We know our parents want us to be divided,
to put one against the other
to place a chasm between us
like hemispheres.
But the operation comes with risks.

There is a chance one of me could die
and we would both feel the passing.
We might remember the knife slicing us.
We could forget our shared memories.

This is why we take turns sleeping and awake.
Our eyes never close.
We hold hands in the dark.
We remember as much as we can, just in case.

Martin Willitts Jr has recent books including The Secret Language of the Universe"(March Street Press, 2006); Lowering Nets of Light (Pudding House Publications, 2007); News from the Front(www.slowtrains.com, 2007); Alternatives to Surrender (Plain View Press, 2007); and Words & Paper (www.threelightsgallery.com, 2008).