Quinton Hallett

Evergreen

wick in the forest

oblong clearing gives air
enough gripe to paint fire here

saved from one blaze a hemlock
destined for your casket will be stripped

of its skin and cut into lengths
for intentional burn

loggers on a taco break
lean against their rigs

or climb onto a sheepskinned bench
to chug a cool one from the tote

they hoist and set the hemlock
return home to their fires

this evergreen
how long ago it was planted

to furnish and frame
the last best house for you

Quinton Hallett writes and edits from her rural property in Noti. She has three chapbooks and her first full-length collection, Mrs. Schrodinger’s Breast, was published by Uttered Chaos in 2015.