Vertical City

A once mighty Sugar Maple
Its bark flaking
Its trunk pockmarked

Oblong holes made by a Pileated couple
Who raised their family and moved on
Allowing a Screech Owl to move in
Small holes for the Nuthatches or a family of field mice

A spur trunk
Broken and hollow
A raccoon’s penthouse

A chipmunk living down among the roots
Basement accommodations

Paths cut by insects
Excavating the soft pulp
To aide in construction
Only to become the meal of the new residents

Hidden away on an outer planet
Called wilderness