Eric Nelson

About Place Journal, Volume II Issue I
Trees

 
DOGWOODS IN OCTOBER

Who doesn’t love them in spring when they’re all
Foam and prance, bright enough to make you wince,
Majorettes of the March parade? But now—
 
Saggy, liver-spotted, leaves more rust than red, dozing
Through the maples’ fiery strip, not sap enough
For even one last fling—who notices now?
 
Casketed in the drab foliage, invisible
To the glancing eye, siren-red berries—round as
Peepholes—offer glimpses of the other side.
 
 
 
Eric Nelson has been teaching poetry writing and other creative writing courses at Georgia Southern University since 1989. The most recent of his five poetry collections is “The Twins,” published in 2009 as the winner of the annual Split Oak Press chapbook contest. His poems have also appeared in many journals, including Poetry, The Southern Review, The Sun, The Oxford American, and Cincinnati Review. More information about Eric Nelson and his work is at ernel