“Five Tanka” for Stout Oak Farm and Southeast Land Trust
by Mimi White
Jun, 2021
Five Tanka for Stout Oak Farm
Call me by my name
Poblano arugula leek
The sky leaning in
A pile of stones cleared by hand
Wind racing through the fencing
Before oak trees
The hill, before people
The land and rain when
The land was dry and snow
When the animals slept
Where the land dips
A sturdy farmhouse
That seems to want company
As shadows retreat up hill
As a pie cooling cools
Five boulders
Left behind like cairns
Pointing, this way, home—
Chokecherry aviary
Leafed out in light
Real soil, serious
Deer fencing—wildflower meadows
Leeks back in rotation
Heirloom Peppers, Carmen
Variety sweet & hot
Mimi White is the author of four full-length collections of poems. Her work has been honored with both the Jane Kenyon Award for Outstanding Poetry and The Philbrick Poetry Award. Her most recent book, The Arc Remains, is available from Deerbrook Editions and at Water Street Books. Mimi lives in an old farmhouse in Rye, New Hampshire with her dog, Scout.
The Southeast Land Trust (seltnh.org) conserves and stewards land for the benefit of people and nature in New Hampshire. SELT serves 52 towns and cities of Rockingham and Strafford counties and has conserved tens of thousands of acres since 1980, including nature preserves, hiking trails, farmland, and scenic vistas. SELT relies on its annual contributing members, committed Board of Directors, and talented staff and volunteers to keep advancing critical conservation initiatives in our region.