Dispatches for the Colonial Office: I Think Somehow I Can Live with That

Monday, October 26, 2026

Lawrence Hall

I Think Somehow I Can Live with That

An oak tree as La Belle Dame Sans Merci?

I had an errand upon the ground, and sat

When I was finished I considered tired leaves

On skeletal branches reaching for – me?

I thought somehow I could live with that

And roots extending for water and food

Like tentacles reaching out to me

Probably in hunger, but maybe in love

I thought somehow I could live with that

Getting down to the ground is easy enough

Getting up is getting more difficult with age

And someday I will not be getting off the ground

at all

I think somehow I can live with that

For years ago I planted this tree in this ground

Maybe I will rest under it awhile

I think somehow I can live with that

Dispatches for the Colonial Office