Coppicing in Early March

                     Life Persists, blue - With Kind Permission from Todd Blake, the Quaker Pirate
                                                    https://quakerpirate.format.com

                      

There is still time
this winter
to cut back
your oak
your hazelnut or willow
before the sap rises
still time to cut to the ground
what has persisted 
so long
you presumed
it was permanent. 

From old stumps
come new shoots
young sprouts 
from aged trunks
but you must tend
them well
erect protection against
those who would 
devour them
clear away brambles
that would usurp
the sun's light
given the chance.

                         Life Persists -With kind permission from Todd Blake, the Quaker Pirate
                                                           https://quakerpirate.format.com