Portside

here where it is said "get out of my country"

winter falls on almond trees

naked in the almost sunny days of late November

their yellow lancets still cover the ground

"we don't need you anymore" say the townsfolk

the almonds have fallen and been collected

the husks have been mixed into cow fodder

the men have been paid and the harvest is over

one would say it's quiet in this country

the priest's Sunday homily spoke of thanks for the bounty

on the other side of town he delivered it to the workers in Spanish

but the church doors burst open

the wind moved up the nave to blow out candles

parishioners pulled at their jackets and scarves

there was still communion and the shaking of hands

and the wishing of peace on their brethren

yet the image of plenty wearing its bows and smiles

cracked like an almond bough

no longer to see its delicate white flowers

Nels Goñi Christianson is a native of rural Merced County from which he draws much inspiration for his poetry. He was a board member of CalPoets from 2009-2023. A few years ago, he co-coordinated a 2-year poetry composition program which was a CalPoets/Beyond Baroque collaboration in Venice, California.