Wide shoulders reach—  
massive branches
lopped off by the frame  

Jarringly close, the maple
gobbles the canvas, cropped
so only the thick middle visible  

Gray bark deeply rutted
knotted, rotted hollow  

Like exposed organs
large burls scar the trunk  

One lean branch twists
into a forked hook, a “Y” formed  

Another, a crooked elbow
a “V” balanced on top  

Two cavities, gaping mouths—
portals to inner darkness  

How many rested, nested here
how many still burrow in its furrows?  

Link to the painting:  https://www.soho-art.com/oil-painting/1255403091/Georgia-O-Keeffe/The-Old-Maple-Lake-George-1926.html