by Sheryl Massaro

They seem content in their alignment
on the mountainside.

Birds might take seeds
from the horizon of red oak
to the horizon of golden aspen,
but few seeds will take root,
as will few from the fir cones
tumbling down.

Temperatures, soil conditions keep
each tree species where it grows best.
A breathtaking sight, oddly orderly,
especially in autumn when it seems
the oaks catch fire and the aspens
shimmer in the heat and the firs
douse the mountainside in darkness.