The Oak on the Corner by Dawn Corrigan

Four years ago when we moved to this house
you severed the kudzu enclosing that oak,
trick learned from a friend who’d grown up
in the South. "Cut it but leave it," he said,

"remove it too soon and the tree’ll die."
Today when I went outside pendent vines
hung from the trunk in limp bunches, Medusa’s
grim hair after Perseus snuck up on her.

I gave a tug and brittle sticks clattered
down. The newly freed branches gleamed,
beautiful as any unchained limb.

Author Bio: Dawn Corrigan's poetry and prose have appeared widely in print and online. Her masthead credits include Western Humanities Review, Girls with Insurance, and Otis Nebula, where she currently serves as assistant editor. She works in the affordable housing industry and lives in Myrtle Grove, FL.

Instagram: @dawnmariecorr

Twitter: @dawnc

Website: http://www.dawncorrigan.com