SASSAFRRASS
the sounding brass of October—Here in Virginia, in the kudzu-thickened
woods, the sticky red clay, these spindly
trees are everywhere, the only ones
with three different types of leaves: footballs,
mittens (both left and right), and open hands.
Deer and porcupines love the bark and twigs;
bobwhites, phoebes, vireos the fruit. Humans
grind the leaves to make filé, for gumbo.
The roots used to make sarsaparilla, but now
it might be a carcinogen, so it’s gone. When
the days start to grow shorter and the light
leaks out, these are leaves that will burst
into flame, turn the color of traffic lights:
red/orange/yellow, stop you in your tracks.
~Barbara Crooker
