Jutting
into Puget Sound
like a giant,
rude thumb,
this remnant
of ancient forests
refuses to succumb
to the blight
of ARSECO, Weyerhaeuser,
this City of Destiny.
Ringed by
million-dollar homes,
forced to endure
the indignity
of latex condoms
aluminum beer cans,
the land feigns
indifference,
concealing man’s neglect,
behind three-foot-high ferns.
Scarred by forest fires,
but saved from
ravaging chainsaws,
this forest quietly
harbors shy,
Pileated Woodpeckers
hammering in the distance
all day hunting insects
slowly devouring
towering Douglas Firs,
Western Red Cedars.