Ode to the Cedrus Deodar

by Dr. Emily Bilman

Like a feathered fan that condenses

the cumulus above your rain-drenched

canopy, the dry winds stir the wax-needled

branches like violin strings that vibrate

the melancholic melody hummed

by my astounded lover. As we court under

the conifers’ epiphany, the cedar

negotiates the aquifer with the water-

channels buried beneath the rooted glade.

From the glade strewn with Galanthus snow-

drops, spectre-like jays and black-crested

tits fly out, or perch, playing hide-and-

seek with the pearlescent-tailed magpies.

The ferrous bark, bared by woodpeckers

now ooze a terpene-healer on our infected

wounds. With the dusk, impregnated

by katabatic winds, the aphrodisiac powder-

pollen stirs the nightingales upon the cedar.