Hard bench beneath me
becomes nothing more
than a mere seat
as I tilt my head
backward
eyes staring into the tree.
Insignificant am I
as the vast greatness
of this leafy life
hangs over me.
For a moment I look beyond
to see specks of the clear blue sky
which my view of this tree
is spread upon.
The beauty of it all is magnificent.
Author notes
About a tree at my university which I often sat under and looked up into.
A contest entry
- Wednesdays at Winklings by Lyndon.
875 points, ended December 3, 2007, 13 entries
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest - A few of Winklings' Poems Set Up for Responses #49 by Lyndon.
3780 points, ended March 4, 2008, 5 entries
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
Please tell me what you think
Comments
1 - 42 of 42
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So Lovely
There is so much to inspire us to write about when sitting with nature and its beauty. Your poem was a delight to read. Lovely imagery to take the reader into the words. You take care, Sandy
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Ah the thoughts we ponder
when we sit among nature and wonder at her beauty. She inspires us to write so many poems praising her. Even a tree that you sit beneath has spurred the muse and brought forth these words. One could and should go further to say that God has gifted us with all we see and we repay Him in our meager way by writing sonnets and prose about His majesty the Kingdom He has layed out for us to enjoy.
Lovely words. Thank you for sharing.
I encourage you to keep writing to read and comment.
God Bless
Tammy -
Lovely way to describe how you feel when you are in this place of relaxation. Think we can all feel like this at some time.
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A beautiful depiction of a tree...enjoyed reading this much!
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thanks crimsondew
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You are welcome!
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Have you seen the film Gregory's Girl?. There's a bit where they lie back under a tree to feel the motion of the planet, and are rocked to sleep. I think one of the lines is: hang on Mr Spaceman. You may or may not know that they once thought of the world as being surrounded by crystal spheres? Look to the stars....
The lights from the house and the kitchen shone out
Through the blinds and the windows and bars
And high overhead, and all moving about
There were hundreds and millions of stars
There ne'er were such hundreds of leaves on a tree
Of of people that liv'd in the park
As the thousands of stars that look'd down upon me
And that glitter'd and winked in the dark
They saw me at last, and they chased me with cries
And they soon had me tucked up in bed
But the wonders still kept going round in my eyes
And the stars, going round in my head
Not mine, of course: it's R.L. Stevenson. But it rocked me to sleep as a child.
Well Done. -
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I haven't seen Gregory's Girl but i will probably try to now.
Thanks for leaving this lovely poem here for me. If I had my way I'd be out at night lying on the ground and looking into the sky. I love it.
thanks for stopping by
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dee23
enjoyed the read and the sitting under the tree, looking upwards. Lovely poemm Deexxx -
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thanks Dee
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I could feel myself looking up. I enjoyed this very much. I might change line 7 to simply read
I am insignificant.
Makes a stronger statement I think, but both do work.
I like looking beyond to see specks of clear blue sky.
Well done. ~Pamela
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I catch what you mean about line 7. However, I don't know why, but I like to leave my poems untouched most of the times unless it's a grammatical error or something. Thanks anyway though. and thanks so much for reading
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a very graceful and gentle verse, written with much sensitivity ... immediately, I thought of the connection between the hard (wooden ?) bench and the majestic tree vibrating with life, and striving skywards ... I took it as a metaphor for our own radiant inner self (the tree of life) which is transformed into rigid tendencies of the personality (the hard bench) ...
you looking skywards and perceiving the light (reflecting your inner light), you forget about the hard bench (ego) and become blissful ...
maa -
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thanks for reading my poem and leaving such a thoughtful comment and sorry for being late with the thanks
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A celebration of a natural living thing.
Yes, I would have this poem in my anthology. I shall return.
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I love the imagery of this, so very relaxing
a calming image of beauty. -
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thanks a tonne
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... and there's not one thing
that comes close to compare! A few simple thoughts yet, drew such a lovely picture and reminded me of a Live Oak in Jacksonville, Florida known as the 'Treaty Oak'. http://www.jaxfountain.com/Original/oak.htm
Thanks for sharing your poem. joy
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A beautiful piece. I don't think we take enough time to look around at God's wonders. They can bring such peace to our hearts and souls.
Thanks so much for sharing
Gaylene
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great poem, I could feel this peice! even after reading it... the words softly lilted in my mind...
~aj~
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Thanks much. I appreciate that you came by to read and applauded
Zai
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I sigh, Zai!
You have really let your muse take over for a wee while.
Who has not had this experience?
Lovely poetry.
You know, I love trees. My wife gets certain trees cut down becvause of leaf litter on the roof, but I suppose she is chief.
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Oh, she IS chief. Definitely. *laugh*
Yes, my muse decided to stop by for a while.
I'm glad you enjoyed this
Zai
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"Insignificant am I
as the vast greatness
of this leafy life
hangs over me."
Ahhh....simple poetic beauty.
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Thank you very much MJ.
Zai
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I enjoyed your "vast greatness of this leafy life"! Lines 13 and 14 would avoid redundancy if you were to drop either the "on" or the "upon". Lovely conclusion
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Thanks very much for your applause and your suggestion. You are right but I won't do any editing now until the contest is judged.
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Breathtaking
Simple and effective, this work delivers the message of peace in the moment like few others.
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Thanks for your applause. I appreciate your nice comments.
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That is a feeling I know. You have found beauty and awe in something you see every day, such a common and uncommon thing as a large old tree. I enjoyed sharing your experience.
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I'm happy I was able to share this experience with you Margaret. Thanks for the nice comments and applause.
Zai
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Sounds like
... a great place to sit and contemplate and you have described it well. joy
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It really is a great place Joy.
Thanks for stopping by to read this poem and thanks for your applause.
Zai
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this seems perfest in all its imagery, it has a quiet power, and is just plain addictive in descriptions.
perfect I think!
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Awww, thank you Tirrell. I appreciate your nice comments and applause.
Zai
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SO LOVELY!!!
When one is in nature and takes in its awesome beauty they will always be made to feel peace and hope.
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I'm very glad you stopped by here Puppydog. I'm happy you liked my poem. Thanks for the applause.
Zai -
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HELLO ZAI
You are always sincerely welcome I always enjoy so much stopping by and reading.
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I love trees. I used to climb trees, not successfully mind you. I just like to look at trees. Trees help our atmosphere.
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Lol
Yeah, trees are great
Thanks for stopping by to read
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So true... when you see a tree against a blue sky and you have the ability to create a surprise in your mind, you will be astonished about the beauty of nature. Unfortunately, we are often too busy with ordinary life to have eye for it. I am glad you still have it... and because of that created this beautiful poem. Very well done.
Anna.
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I try my hardest to ensure that I take time to see the beauty in nature. I'm glad you enjoyed the poem and I'm happy you took time to read and applaud. Thanks Anna
Zai
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