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The Lament of the Old Oak Tree

How many autumns will I see again?

For michief moves beneath the forest loam,

The busy fingers of these mortal men

Above the earth have build a toxic dome.

When acid rain precipitates to Earth

The flora and the fauna dance with death,

But those who really care we count their dearth,

And cry our silent plea with dying breath.

Two hundred years I've stood within this wood,

From acorn to a tower I have grown,

And even bitter winters I withstood,

Although some claimed that they had heard me groan.

For now I'll dream of pure and crystal rain,

And wonder if our deaths are all in vain.

A contest entry

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1 - 8 of 8

  • Mairi bheag gold member
    June 16
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    I find it amazing that this was first entered for a "Quickie" contest, but not at all amazing that it won gold. I don't really have much more to comment. It is an expertly-crafted sonnet, to all intents and purposes flawless. To be honest, anything more that I might say about it would be sheer puff to reach fifty words!

  • ecrivain01
    June 2
    Edit | Reply

    Lovely poem ...

    and I must agree with Vera here in all respects.

    Good luck in the contest.

  • Vera Rich
    May 22

    Edit | Reply
    I am always chary of poems in which some non-human entity is given a voice - so often the language used becomes too anthropomorphic. However, this does NOT happen here - your choice of words and ideas is entirely congruent.

    It so happened that yesterday I attended the finals of the international youth public speaking competition held by the English Speaking Union. The competition theme was rebirth and renewal. One of the competitors was a Mongolian girl who was speaking about the necessity to have trees in cities... She wanted oaks to be planted in Ulan Bataar. (I am not sure that they would thrive in Mongolian conditions - but that is another matter!) She said that an oak takes three hundred years to grow, three hundred years to mature, and three hundred years to die. So your tree is - by oak standards, only a teenager... So his proteat is even more apposite.


  • suseann
    August 26, 2007

    Edit | Reply
    Great depths resonate within this piece of exquiste poetry penned in reflections.We hear the voice of stallwort wisdoms of the ages questing for answers to the bigger question of "why".


  • SexyAngel0418
    August 26, 2007
    Edit | Reply
    wow... This is awesome di`!! YOu did a great job on this one!!! I really like it!!! I'm going to bookmark it b/c it might be useful in science (when/if we talk about pollution and stuff)... Great job!!

    Hugs,
    Beth

    PS Congrats on the GOld Trophy


  • penman gold member
    August 25, 2007
    Edit | Reply

    Wonderful

    Very well done. Best of luck in the contest.

  • Pari Ali
    August 24, 2007

    Edit | Reply
    the last line is very poignant. This is a subject so close to my heart for I really mourn the death of our environement. I wish people would see trees for the special gift that they are and not be in such a hurry to destroy them or the environment. You have brought one more destructive factor into perspective one that we often forget for we talk about cutting down trees but rarely about what the many pollutants are doing to destroy nature. well written!


  • Tirrell
    August 24, 2007
    Edit | Reply
    I love the perspective of a stately tree, as the thoughts move onwards towards the uncertain future.
    The imagry is supurb and lively, infectious with its lush sensations that I can almost hear the light rusteling of leaves within the wind. Beautiful write!!!

1 - 8 of 8