Headed south on Georgia 15, 
on my way to Greensboro 
and the lake, when the sun pours 
a pillar of March light and crowns 
a white oak centered in 
a green-speckled field. 

Stately and gray-caped; height 
and belly fat say at least 
300 winters. But I cannot place 
the plants sprouting in that field. 
I’m early for my meeting in this 
mixed-use town of gentrified geegaw 

shops and counter-service meat-’n-three 
cafes. First stop is Reece’s 
Hardware, here since the ’30s—
I need nails and a short-handled 
hammer. The clerk’s face is furrowed 
like those rolled Piedmont fields. 

I greet: Hey, howya doin’ 
today? His reply: Every 
day above ground is a good day. 
Our conversation moseys down 
the unpaved road of country life. 
I saw a beautiful old oak, 

in a field west side of Eatonton 
Highway ’bout five miles back—the one 
with the big white mailbox. Happen 
to know what that new crop is? 
He replies: This time of year 
most folks are planting alfalfa hay, 

and that tree, that’s the one we used 
to call the hanging oak. 

Gary Grossman,

Professor Emeritus of Ecology at University of Georgia, has poems, short fiction, and essays in 49 literary reviews. His poetry and CNF have been nominated for Best Small Fictions and the Pushcart Prize. For 10 years Gary wrote “Ask Dr. Trout” for American Angler magazine. His poetry books Lyrical Years (Kelsay Press) and What I Meant to Say Was... (Impspired Press), and his graphic memoir My Life in Fish: One Scientist’s Journey (Impspired Press, 2023) all may be purchased from Amazon or from the author.

Author’s website: www.garygrossman.net

And his blog: https://garydavidgrossman.medium.com/