why would I carve us
into a tree? trees, like all things
shrivel and die, fall and burn
and decay into the soil. is this
the symbol you wanted?
why would I expose an innocent
to the draconian ills of the world
for the sake of that Kodak moment?
—which will only fade in a drawer
or in your memory, anyway. is this
the symbol you wanted?
why would I make a “forever” mark
on a piece of bark that will be stripped
by industry and turned into another
ton of mulch, another number
in the budget, another inch of dirt
to be crushed under society’s
judgment and shoes? is this
the symbol you wanted?

why would I carve us
into a tree—when it would be the same
to carve you into me?