A tender curiosity remains
In trees converted into walls;
The slender layer of wood retains
A faint resilience that recalls
Dryness and rain, and sap that rises and falls.
Thus, when solid walls expand,
Helpless is architecture to predict
What will inspire and what constrict
The breath that rises from the land.
In scaffolding, the slanted eaves —
Cantilevered — balance on breeze;
Timbers made invisible so please
The solid consciousness of trees
That they, from their height,
Regard the sight with awe,
Lean in the clearing, and invite the saw.