From a half block away, their light, brown-gray
trunks, slender as colts’ legs, seem to shower
with green branches. Each limb’s small bouquet sways
in the light breeze. Tuscarora flowers
of dark pink. Arapahoe glows bright red.
Lavender Muskogee and Natchez soft
white. Their explosions of color have spread
throughout Little Rock, filling enclosed crofts
of old homes, and stretches bordering streets
from the Heights to East Side. Nature’s fine art
appears to have humbled July’s harsh heat,
bartered brilliant hues for a later start
to summer’s fire. How can I show how good
I feel, strolling my hometown neighborhoods?
Roger Armbrust
July 23, 2007
