Root Bound

(hexagram 59)

Unclench the soil and stones; dislodge
your thorns; slough your rough bark.
Your defenses                                           have held you still—
a lone tree                                                  on a rock.
Infuse your pith with spring chyle;
weave rootless feet,                               and walk away.

M.C. Childs’ poetry has recently appeared in Asimov’s Science Fiction, Andromeda Spaceways, Abyss & Apex, Focus, Liminality, and many other publications. His award-winning urban design books include The Zeon Files: Art and Design of Historic Route 66 Signs (UNM Press 2016), Urban Composition (Princeton Architectural Press 2012), and Squares: A Public Space Design Guide (UNM Press 2004).  He is a Fulbright Senior Scholar and an associate dean of architecture at the University of New Mexico.  He lectures internationally on story and placemaking, public art and public spaces, and urban design.