Cathedral Pine

All night a soaking rain.
In the gray half-light
of morning we hiked out

of dripping timber, bending
around a soggy bog,
in search of childhood

memories. At the crest
of a steep knoll, a clearing.
The towering white pine

in its center like a
statue, its many arms
holding our secrets,

imagined adventures.
Suddenly a streak of
sunlight. Before us, the tree

stood breathless, amazed at
how it had been chosen,
and how we had changed.

---

Fredric Hildebrand is a retired physician living in Neenah, WI. He is the author of two poetry chapbooks, "Northern Portrait" (Kelsay Books, 2020), and "A Glint of Light" (Finishing Line Press, 2020). His recent poetry has appeared in The San Antonio Review and Sky Island Journal. When not writing or reading, he plays acoustic folk guitar and explores the Northwoods with his wife and two Labrador retrievers.