Richard Schnap’s most recent poem to appear here was Heiress (November 2013).

Evil Inclination
By Richard Schnap

He always noticed when a tree was cut down,
Its naked stump as pitiful as an amputated limb,

And he wondered why it was severed from the earth
For it was healthy, with bright green leaves

And colorful blossoms in the first days of spring.
Was it because it was the sole oak

In a grove of elms? Did its shadow obscure
Someone’s view of the morning sun

Or threaten the growth of their garden?
He did not know but it made him think

Of the cruelty residing in the hearts of men,
The same dark impulse that sent souls

To their deaths because they were different,
Because they had the wrong skin or faith,

Or simply because they could, just as
He could caress an overlooked leaf, and mourn.