Wild Apples

giving my apple core a toss watching it arc

and land in a forest clearing i think of you Dad

saying where should i plant an apple tree today

a habit from boyhood summers at your uncle’s orchard

continuing into your college days on a motor scooter

with Mom exploring every mountain and forest in Pennsylvania

the fall and only the fall was for apples

culminating in your favorite the stayman winesap

but after all those cores for all those years

you’re in the ground now yourself

and i keep looking for those wild apple trees