May 3rd, 2023
I am just a box elder treeBut little known, I am your enemyWatch me now on a growing spreeCut me down so that soon you can seeThe many heads of cerberus made freeNew stems over there and also right hereTried again but you could not clearDo not fear, I will come again next yearLike your bitterness, reappearForgive them again, but it perseveresOnce you were content with peopleJust gather beneath a church’s steeplePancakes with a bit of mapleEnjoy the mass, it comes with a sequelBitterness makes not a stapleOf course, I am just a box elder treePerhaps, it is your hate for theeHow it returns stronger, so much like meThe bitterness will always beWhen you keep forgiving so willingly
— © 2023 by Grace DesotellGrace Desotell is a senior in the Writing & Applied Arts program on UWGB’s Marinette campus, and she is also Co-Editor-in-Chief of the 2023 Northern Lights Literary & Arts Journal. When she’s not doing homework, she’s either vanished off the face of the earth or is outside enjoying a long nature walk. “The Box Elder Tree” appears in this year’s Northern Lights, selected through a blind jury process.