A Grief

And don't you think it's a grief to me?
She's grafted onto the apple tree?
From under bark she speaks to me

And don't you think it's a grief to him?
He peels the bark and finds her skin
She's stretching out, she's seeping in

She's gone, she's gone, but she won't go
And it's as clear as clear can be
Traces of blood upon the snow
As apples grow on a winter tree

Apple canker, bitter pit
Silver leaf and fire blight
They moved out when you moved in
The flesh grows plump, the skin grows bright

The stories slip, the stories bleed
The ink blots out and overwrites
Forcing in an awkward rhyme
That will wear thin and fade in time

Truth be told, truth be hidden
One day unbidden slips through the door
And spots the bloodstains on the floor

A grief to him, oh, a grief to me
But stay, oh, stay in the apple tree
You're radiant in the apple tree