Jane

A crown gall,

they found it indide her body.

I imagined its cross section like a burr,

or like cork—

all suberised.

It could look like

a section of spalted trunk—

blackstrap coaly seams

making the wood marbled.

Or maybe

it could sort of peel away in papery layers,

and probably seep amber.

She’s shedding her leaves for

          the winter now,

but she’ll be blooming,

          and she’ll be spiralling

          back in spring.