My Bite is the Source of My Bark
(Your Resident Beaver)
Don’t fret at the sight of those trees fallen down
though it looks like a twister came thundering through!
Don’t fear! It was me! All the birches I chew
will become a fine shelter, a dam, and a town
for mallards and turtles and fishes and frogs—
and even for you. When you happen on logs
that were once living willows, please don’t be alarmed.
The stumps will all sprout, turning into a lush
new forest and field where the loon and the thrush
will twitter and trill. You’ll be dazzled and charmed
by the bee balm and butterfly weed — all because
my untiring maw munches, nibbles, and gnaws.
Don’t fret at the sight of those trees fallen down
though it looks like a twister came thundering through!
Don’t fear! It was me! All the birches I chew
will become a fine shelter, a dam, and a town
for mallards and turtles and fishes and frogs—
and even for you. When you happen on logs
that were once living willows, please don’t be alarmed.
The stumps will all sprout, turning into a lush
new forest and field where the loon and the thrush
will twitter and trill. You’ll be dazzled and charmed
by the bee balm and butterfly weed — all because
my untiring maw munches, nibbles, and gnaws.
This poem is copyright (©) Martin J Elster 2024
About the Writer
Martin J Elster
Martin J. Elster lives in Hartford, Connecticut. He was, for many years, a percussionist with the Hartford Symphony Orchestra. In addition to playing and composing music, Martin finds contentment in long walks in the woods or the city and in writing poetry, which often alludes to creatures and plants he encounters on his walks. Martin’s poems have appeared in numerous literary journals and anthologies in the U.S. and abroad. A full-length collection, Celestial Euphony, was published by Plum White Press in 2019.
