Sawdust

Why not lindendust,
   hackberry, hemlock,
live oak, maple, why
   name the remains
after the blade, not
   what it cut—

only now do I see
   that the air is full
of small sharp stars
   pinwheeling through
every living thing
   that gets in their way.

 

From Sharp Stars by Sharon Bryant. Copyright © 2009 by Sharon Bryant. Used by permission of BOA Editions Ltd.