Into the hollow oak
On Richmond park
You ran laughing
At the dry wood
Pressing your body inside
Hiding in its hollow
That stands in the ground
Like a half-buried dugout
Gutted by lightning
Heartwood long vanished.
Again, it is tested by fire
As the sparks of your eyes
Ignite invisible flames
I am drawn inside
Flattened against the old grey wood
Like new living heartwood
Warm, full of breath and speech
You filled the old hollow tree
With a beating heart
You made it seem like laughter
Was rising up through its stems
Then- I became that hollow tree
I felt your love inside of me
Pressed with laughter against my ribs
My hollowness, my empty crib