As much as I admire the kind
of curiosity that wonders why
the skin of the pine differs so
from that of the birch, and what
it can tell us about its history
and evolution, and those minds,
too, that want to know what names
have been given to each species
and to the kingdoms to which
each belongs, it is my lot, it seems,
simply to see the way, say,
tiny seeds nestle here, just so,
amidst these wondrous slabs
of clay-red bark.