A conversation across the table
Cold cuts, mustard, Mint tea
Wise man of the woods
Mystic admirer, yet mass murderer
Taking life to save life
Artifacts and dissection
To understand; and share
The way of trees
How they wrap strength around
Each branch
Yet prepare to let go when
A branch no longer sees the light
And dies
And failing in that moment
Holding on to the dead
The tree is subject to torment
Invaders who ride death into heart
Risk of hollow-heartedness
Inability to stand in the
Tempest's test
Strongest anchored in community
Locking roots against the blows
Discreet neighbors making good fences
He could not say how the different
Kith and kin give and take
In the symbiosis of survival
In vertical horizon
Strange children play
At giant's feet and knees
No one pays plywood's price
To study relationships
For this kind of wood
But Alder feeds Fir
In Mr. Douglas' forest
Birches breathe warnings
To tan leaves when the insects
Brunch on buds
Wounds weep when roots rot away
Auras surround sighing pumping
Foliage rustling gentle wind
That say who is whole or limping
And the segmented wolves can see...
Author notes
"A single conversation across the table with a wise man is better than ten years mere study of books."
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
In memory of Alex Shigo
Chief Forest Scientist
USDA
Thank you for the mountain time...
A contest entry
- Longfellow by CarolDesjarlais.
525 points, ended February 22, 2007, 11 entries
Silver trophy winner
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest - EXISTENTIALISM and AURAS by Mila7.
565 points, ended July 13, 2008, 9 entries
Honorable mention
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
Please tell me what you think
Comments
1 - 19 of 19
-
I think this is a wonderful write I wont even pretend to understand existentialism but that aside I like it for what it is - how it reads and how it flows
Thank You
-
-
thank you. The subject was the chief forest scientist for the USDA Forestry division. He introduced profound changes in concepts of understanding trees; the ways branches are attached, the way all trees of the same species in the same location become a single organism, the poorly understood ways that the different trees are associated. The mechanisms insects use to find the weak, and the way diseases break down defences. I used language to carry the metaphor into social commentary.
-
-
May I speak for the trees
and thank you for the respect
and honor you give the subjects
you know so well.
"Touching Trees" touches
the reader, tenderly,
particularly in mourning
the tree's demise.
Kudos to you, deercatcher!
M-C
-
I always wince when i get junk mail.... about the trees , I like you treasure my woods as we call them down here. and wonder why why so much waste. I feel I know some personally in my mountains like my dogs and horse they are living and give all ways there . I like this very much..
-
You have an inner sense at work here. Liked the concept, "vertical horizon".
"Wounds weep when roots rot away," is some of that inner sense. I seem to be meeting some poets from louisianna on this site. I love the scent of mesquite.
(Thanks for your comment on 'Diverted'. I guess we have to stop and 'smell the coffee' along the way.)
-
wood is good
while working one day with wood. i was honored with a splinter as thick as a pencil in the palm of my hand. that was years ago. the pain slowly subsided within a couple of weeks, but the lesson will never fade, as a sharp three inch piece of pine still speaks to me, it teases me with lessons it learned while in the company of cedars.
-
this is wonderful... :-)
-
I loved it ! Best piece I've read this evening, very nicely done.
~ Wendy -
Superb
Aye, tis a fine write, indeed. You've expressed yourself quite well. Thanks for sharing this one with us. You might like my poem: "Tree Thoughts". a link in a moment. http://allpoetry.com/poem/show/2287095 -
Love the depth of images and wording in this. So many lines I like, but especially,
'Wounds weep when roots rot away
Auras surround sighing pumping
Foliage rustling gentle wind
That say who is whole or limping
And the segmented wolves can see'
Congrats on the Silver!
-
I love the description in the first stanza:
"A conversation across the table
Cold cuts, mustard, Mint tea
Wise man of the woods"
I love mint tea >.<
Wow your second stanza brought me back to earth, nice touch, it awakens the reader.
"The way of trees
How they wrap strength around
Each branch"
I like this description because it personifies trees into something mighty, and personally I love them.
"The tree is subject to torment
Invaders who ride death into heart
Risk of hollow-heartedness"
the strength of your words is impacting... it shows deep perception and acuteness of heart to sense this.
"Strange children play
At giant's feet and knees"
Your description of a tree portrays them as benevolent, it reminds me of The Giving Tree. Well thought.
"Wounds weep when roots rot away" great use of alliteration, makes the phrase more profound.
"Auras surround sighing pumping
Foliage rustling gentle wind
That say who is whole or limping"
this is an extremely interesting take on auras. Most people believe that auras just belong to humans. Everything has an aura, only that humans are able to portray emotion, however living entities do tend to have larger auras than non living objects.
Interesting approach I like how the aura's of the trees mark their health, this is also true about humans.
"And the segmented wolves can see..."
Great last verse, gives the poem an interesting edge, and I like the use of animals seeing auras as well.
Great write! -
Wounds weep>>>> is one of the many alliteration that you used here. I really enjoyed it.
The messege: I loved the way you framed us and how we treat trees... I hate people who don't appreciate their symbolic life--- they represent movent, life !
I adore this one. You deserve the Silver. Congrats.
~bad resln
-
Beautiful and ponderous!
Right from the lovely alliterative title, multi-layered in meaning, up to the exit line, there rustled the message of a nature lover who understands the talk of the trees and nature in general. A lovely tribute to both Longfellow and Alex Shigo.
Well done Poet.
Myra
-
beautiful
Thanks for sending me the link to this poem... It's deep, on many different levels...
Personally, I think you should have gotten 'gold' for this poem...
As always,your poetry is insightful... Powerful imagery,with life messages beneath it's simple words...
Thanks again!
-
Very Good
Though I still but stab at free writes I do recognize one when it is exceptional. This is one such write. But who wood know the woods and forests more than you. Your efforts in explaining to us is what makes this wonderful for we now have a feel for what you know about such things.
Thank you for bringing this to my attention friend.
Jim
-
powerful write!
Bravo for getting the silver.
have to say i loved this poem and the message it send out. it has been composed by a person with the understanding of what life is about.
The volcabulary is excellent and tha metaphors brilliant. its powerful with the strenght of ebony. the feelings relayed as deep rooted as the trees.
good luck
slán dolores, xx
-
crystaldust 26-02-07 11:10
First: congratulations on the silver. I haven't seen the gold, but will have a look
I love this poem, deercatcher, and thank you for jogging my elbow to look at it.
It's not often that background and poem match so perfectly or that writers have such a deep understanding of trees and how they live. This is beautiful and so rich especially:
..."they wrap strength around
Each branch
Yet prepare to let go when
a branch no longer sees the light
And dies" ............
and "Birches breathe warnings......
when insects
Brunch on leaves(sheer delight, that)
and the shock of the last line
"And the segmented wolves can see.....
sad, strong and beautiful.
-
Well ahven't I a dilemma here....this is beatuiful...a knwoing beyond the politics and power...a person who knows tree-talk so very well. The language here is so bautiful, weaving through the forest of dreams. As a poet, I try to do as much possible online and on computer and feel ashamed every time I do not use and reuse paper. Each sheet adds to my consumeristic carelessness of trees.
-
"He could not say how the different
Kith and kin give and take
In the sybiosis of survival
In vertical horizon"
Another intelligent, expansive view from your pen, dear Scribe...A wonderful tribute, indeed...Good luck in Carol's contest...
Wanda
Adding your comment:
1 - 19 of 19
