Poet’s Note
No writer works in a vacuum. I wish to acknowledge the work of two poets for providing inspiration and creative fuel as I worried on this piece. The two stanzas ending in question marks are heavily influenced by the curious and childlike voice of Peter Handke’s poem Song of Childhood, which I was introduced to via Wim Wenders’ beautiful film Wings of Desire, and have loved ever since. My brief fascination with the color green near the end of the poem is in part due to Philip Larkin’s poem The Trees, which I read and re-read while working on this piece.