Watching the Trees

Stefan Sencerz

December 31, 2023

In memory of Chögyam Trungpa

I try to see trees as fluid 

swirls of black, brown, and green 

and white, yellow, and blue 

They take upon the solid form: 

giants having their feet planted 

firmly into the rich soil 

their torsos growing 

into the canopy of leaves

arms outstretched 

to passing clouds 

heads reaching up

into the heavens

Sometimes white and pink butterflies

settle on the giants’ arms 

then the rains come 

butterflies fade away 

giving place to

plums, peaches, and pears

Sometimes branches take on the form

of fractures in the solid sky

That’s when the perspective shifts

clouds dissolve gates open

subtle lights and rainbows sift in

Stefan Sencerz, born in Warsaw, Poland, came to the United States to study philosophy and Zen Buddhism. He teaches philosophy, Western and Eastern, at Texas A&M University, Corpus Christi. His essays appeared in professional philosophy journals (mostly in the areas of animal ethics and metaethics) and his poems and short stories appeared in literary journals. 

Stefan has been active on the spoken-word scene winning the slam-masters poetry slam in conjunction with the National Poetry Slam in Madison Wisconsin, in 2008, as well as several poetry slams in San Antonio, Austin, Houston, and Chicago.