Jonathan Rentler
lemon trees be thirsty
so careful
where you stand
deep roots mean nothing
soiled in a mimicry of land
folly & mites mangle
tips easily splay
for the rip-roar
of windy days
let poison
fruit rot
before juice be made
the secret is this:
their branches raise
not towards light
but skyward still
for mother’s
sappy swill
Jonathan Rentler is the author of the chapbook Times Square Words# 1 (Yonkers International Press/Blurb 2017). His work has appeared in LOLA, Babbling of the Irrational, Fickle Muses, I-70, Ganymede, Unlikely Stories 2.0, and Midnight Muse.
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