Grant me deep roots.
Solid branches.
Let the fires pass me by.
Let generations of squirrels and blue jays
hop on my limbs.
Let me breathe fog, chew sunlight
and look down
over centuries.
This poem first appeared in the book Son of a Poet.
—
Joe Cottonwood’s poetry books include Random Saints, Foggy Dog and Son of a Poet. Long ago he wrote an underground novel called Famous Potatoes and recently the memoir 99 Jobs: Blood Sweat and Houses as well as several novels for children. He lives with his high school sweetheart under redwood trees in the Santa Cruz mountains of California. He has worked most of his life in the construction trades repairing and improving houses.
