‘The Tips of Trees’ by Kim Kaufman

Tender Treetops
by Lindsey Morrison Grant

The Tips of Trees

The tips of trees greened today.
We ran outside without coats.
Wind waves against our skin.
Light mottles our limbs.

Walking along the windfalls of winter,
great trunks strewn across the forest floor
bringing air to earth. Small feet feel lichen
and rough bark born in space.

Sky on the ground, feet on treetops,
everything connects.
A robin fights his window reflection,
grandmothers die, leaves unfurl.


Kim Kaufman works as a writer, somatic movement therapist, and art quilter in the Berkshire Mountains of Western Massachusetts, USA. She lives in a log home in the forest, where she cuts, splits, stacks, and heats with wood. Her life is surrounded and permeated with trees. You can find her at bodyminddance.com and @thebodyminddance on Instagram.


Self-identifying as a neurodivergent, two-spirit, elder storyteller and contrarian deeply rooted in the roar and lore that’s become Portlandia of The Left Coast, Lindsey Morrison Grant attributes success and survival to superlative supports, mindfulness practice, and daily creative expression in words, sounds, and images. Currently, their visual works are represented by The Siy Gallery of San Francisco.