Poetry Editor Abby LaForest on today’s poem: James King’s “Man Robs Bank Disguised as a Tree” is simultaneously a poignant retelling of James Coldwell’s 2007 robbery and an introspection on the justification of the world’s everyday thefts. Rooting itself (no pun intended) in one’s subconscious, where readers find themselves at the crossroads between the natural and the simulated, the intentionality of theme is accentuated through King’s vivid, narrative style. Here’s hoping that you too, reader, will hear “the ghosts of oak and beeches” as King displays the ubiquitous power of nature in his writing.

Click here to view news footage from WMUR-TV of the 2007 robbery.

Man Robs Bank Disguised as Tree

July 9th, 2007 (WMUR)

He tells himself that nature is full
of small burglaries—the bird
who swipes a berry into the pocket of his stomach,
the tree in turn who steals more sugar
from the soil. This is the way
of things, he thinks, as he plucks the limbs
which will become his own,
tapes a crown of leaves onto his brow.
We can only speculate
if he hears the ghosts of oaks and beeches,
toppled for the latest 7-11,
screaming beneath his wings
as he demands his reparations
from the teller, who gives them,
quickly. We may wonder if,
after the dye pack explodes,
an ancient animus offers a way
to evade the cops, their colorblind dogs,
each step down Elm Street—
Not that way. Here.
And though we know
he’s later caught, what if,
only briefly, it takes him from the city,
to where the leaves fall
unimpeded, and the branches,
co-conspirators,
tell him where to stand.

James King is a poet from New Hampshire. He received his MFA from the University of North Carolina Wilmington and serves as Poetry Editor for Bear Review. He is the recipient of the 2020 Academy of American Poets Prize from Dartmouth College, a finalist in the 2023 NC State Poetry Competition, and has been nominated twice for a Pushcart Prize. His writing has appeared in Chautauqua, Exposition Review, The Shore, and ONE ART, among others.

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