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South Fork Poetry: ‘Behind This Gate’

Tue, 09/22/2026 - 12:30
Hydrangea
Hannele Lahti / Smithsonian Institution Archives

Measured in pine needles 

I am a billionaire

in Virginia creeper

I am a ballerina

in jade 

I am a monk

in cherry blossoms

I am a child

in hickory 

I am a squirrel

In Japanese red maple

I am a samurai 

in flowering purple plum

I am a brazen hussy

In beach grass 

I am a butterfly

In moss

I am a mushroom

In wandering Jew

I am lost

In the rubber plant

I am an ant

In Irish shamrock

I am a jig 

In the magnolia

I am dust

In the lavender

I am soap

In the holly

I am holy

in the hydrangea

I am rainbow

My wealth . . . immeasurable


Dee Slavutin recently came out with a new collection of poems, “Suddenly Deciduous.” She lives in East Hampton. 

 

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