Postcard to Miller from Bernheim’s Forest

Whose woods these are I certainly know.
His name is everywhere, and without that name
on signs, envelopes, cars, jackets, and fliers
these third-growth woods would be no-growth.
A century back he made some whiskey money
14,000 shades of green for keeps.
Even risked lynching by posting a sign
reading something like, All welcome,
regardless of race or religion. We might be
catching up to such an act now, but trees
aren’t people. Outside the boundaries
of these volunteers and tags identifying
Weeping Pine and Tupelo Tree,
coal companies, through …