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Splinter-Voice Echo by Ren Pike



Splinter-voice echo


it's hard to make a tree laugh. they've

seen it all. 100-year storms. gaping maws.

cutting and cutting. nothing startles them.


not leaf drop. not bird flight. barely notice

animals fornicating on their limbs. when

new beetles arrive. tree sees in those faces.

older faces. generations of teeth. knotted

ommatidia. watching. saplings push-up.

swayed by populist cudgel-makers.


if someone tries to sell you a tree. ask

when it last laughed. it won't answer. but

its rings could. needle down. sing on a

phonograph. trees know. all about laying

down tracks. they've not lost their sense

of humour. it's out. search-partying surprise.


‘walks into a bar’ are the best jokes. to tell

a tree. ever curious. about what goes on

inside. if you do make a tree laugh. you may

not know. 'til 1 evening. mid-copse. 'twixt

barking dog and larksome moon. you catch.

a splinter-voice echo of the punchline.







Ren Pike grew up in Newfoundland. Through sheer luck, she was born into a family who understood the exceptional value of a library card. Her work has appeared in Abridged, Riddle Fence, and Cutbow Quarterly. When she is not writing, she wrangles data in Calgary, Canada. https://pike.headstaller.com


1 Comment


m.anne.alexander
Apr 27, 2023

Good to encourage conversation with trees.🤔

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