black madonna

black goddess tree.

slicked with offerings --

unintentionally standing out

in a grove

of green,

and orange,

and yellow.

the talk of the neighborhood.

she oils her skin

smooth, like ebony,

and tries not to feel shame

when the other trees

gather and gossip about

her bare-boned seduction, 

the trim quality of her branches,

her inviting, slim trunk.

ostracized,

she receives few invitations

to festivals and petal recitals.

she pretends not to mind

and fills her time digging

in her roots.

she will need the depth

if she is to stand tall.

the birds know.

they can feel the vibration

of her grief as they roost in her

dark limbs.

they take pity

and fill her obsidian pain

with color --

brilliant reds,

cerulean,

mustard -- 

camouflaging her

from restless eyes

and greedy lips.

like wings on the updraft,

still, she rises.

(copyright 2011)