the woodcutter

the steady, dull beat
of the woodcutter's ax woke me,
not the cracking of the wood
its cohesion forced from it
crying out, echoing across the yard,
through the frosted window that separates us.
or was i dreaming?

in my dream-like state
i imagined myself to alternately be
the woodcutter
the ax
the stump,
alternately giving, taking, receiving.
i experienced the harmony
as the dull, monotonous thud 
of the woodcutter's ax woke me.
or am i dreaming?


5/2/1991