Dave Russo

How Oak Trees Spread Across North America

It was long after the split of gravity and light. Proteins twisted from lava under the sea. Breathing was invented. Some arms became wings. It began to seem that toads should lay eggs: coiled and clear, with live black centers.

It was easy, then, for Blue Jays to come along. Mobbing the acorns from the first few oaks. Scattering to stash them under moss and leaves, in damp openings and waste places. According to the wind, the warmth of the sun, and the depth of the urge to hide precious things.

      vernal pool

the slow calligraphy

     of horsehair worms

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Note: A version of “vernal pool” was previously published as a runner-up for the March 2007 Snapshots Calendar.

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About the Author

Dave Russo’s haiku have appeared in Frogpond, Modern Haiku, and Acorn, among other journals, and in the New Resonance 5 anthology (Red Moon Press, 2007, 2019). Dave organizes events for the North Carolina Haiku Society and is the society’s web administrator. He is also a founding member of The Haiku Foundation and has managed the foundation’s website from its inception.

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