Mesquite

Jacob Friesenhahn

August 3, 2025

The trunk split early,

never able to choose

a single path,

long limbs twisted and knotted

with time, tentacles stretching low,

daring you to duck beneath,

scarred bark, speckled

with sinful marble

and ball moss,

gray-green goblins

who mean no harm.

The thorns remain,

thrift-store daggers lying in wait

for lawnmower tires

and bare feet. New sandals

are no match.

Others are already bursting.

Pecan, fig, oak, and ash—

they each reach eager hands

toward the sky.

But playing dead,

waiting,

unmoved by soft breeze,

by early March warmth,

no longer trusting Spring,

we have learned

it is the last frost

arriving late

that cuts most deep,

a cruel trick

of ever-changing air,

and so we linger

within winter,

patient and spiteful.

Jacob Friesenhahn is the author of The Prayer of the Mantis (Kelsay Books, 2025). He teaches religious studies and philosophy at Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio, Texas.