birch branch pepper sneeze
the divine Miss N’s in town
snow white and the seven trees
but will she wear a gown?
whiffs of yellow
puffs, the pink
streaks of light blue sky
black the blotches
are birchbark notches
it’s a soprano staged surprise
white this wood and wonderful wit
did Dorothy Parker channel it?
Dottie-Dot and trees with spots
this diva sings delicious
it’s a mezzo espresso birchbark tea
deciduous and capricious
whiffs of yellow
puffs, the pink
streaks of light blue sky
black the blotches
are birchbark notches
is a soprano staged surprise
troysherdahl 
This poem was written for performance with a theme provided. It was inspired by 3 paintings of birch trees displayed on The Arden Theater stage while the opera singer, Julie Nesrallah, performed her show inspired by the humorist, Dorothy Parker. I read it on two nights with Art Out Loud before Julie’s performances. It was a blast!