The carcass of the tree lies
in the lake shallow enough
for branches to snag.
The carcass of the tree
desires the water surface
to ripple above its body
so silt washes against it,
covers it in blanket layers,
prepares it for a petrified life
concealed for centuries
until desert sand sifts
away the shore, and a limb
scratches through the surface
like a hand attached
to a buried-alive victim below.
The carcass of the tree
ripples up from the dunes
like concentric rings
expanding its life.
