Forest bath[1]

Whether of bark or blood, word or water,

whether intended or arranged,

whether the sleek of your hand,

whether you take ‘just one sip’ from the flask,

whether almond blesses arsenic,

whether grace is all that is meant,

whether the poet paints with water on the path,

whether the conifer’s a miser and you soap your shirt in pine,

whether persimmon aroma longs for, longs for, longs for,

whether a pale paint line stops the bitter creeping,

whether a stall to the pretence of evergreen,

whether this slow congress of silent trees,

whether a sure one-hundred-year heartbeat of the mountain,

whether you … wait,

whether my mottle shoulder curves your polished back,

whether bark or blood, word or water: congress.

[1] Forest bathing in Mandarin is 森林浴 sēnlínyù

Forest Bath was first published In An Anthology: a collection of poems by Will Harris and friends of the Chinese Write Now Festival 2022. It was long listed in the UK National Poetry Competition in 2017