"Things That May" by S.D. Dillon

Things That May

When the urban forest fire
ignites weeds & litter

& the browndead vines
tangled to chainlinks,

the lattice in the razor wire
catches tinder of debris

on remnants
of a never-kempt lawn.

When the levee bursts
& forests sink into wetlands

& the movement, inexorable as struggle
of wildlife & trees

to not drown,
& cattails to grow

between deadened trunks & mosses,
& when enough matter

accumulates to turn swamp to mud,
ferns.

S.D Dillon

S.D. Dillon has an MFA from Notre Dame and lives in Michigan. His poetry has appeared recently in Tampa Review, Door = Jar, Panorama, ephemeras, #Ranger, and The Shortlist: Best of BarBar 2024, and is forthcoming in The Phare and Bloodroot. He can be found on Instagram @sddillon50.

Headshot: Julia Dillon

Photo Credit: Staff