Beech Tree

Cherry

By onemorething

Fri, 28 May 2021
  • 1331 reads
13 comments
 

Imagine beginning as a shoot;

a fine thread of green,

broken

or devoured with ease.

My feet find the earth, delve, 

and in strands of waxen roots, 

make enquiries of the soil.

 

In haste to toughen, a bole

to sheath in bark, 

no time to waste on

dreams,

only urge, further, onwards,

and in the distance - the music

of stag beetle and worm,

and all those who squirm

with me in the dark. 
 

But for the soothe of breeze, 

the light grip of brambling;

friend of burr and mast,

pressed to the wound

of love

carved as deep as cambium,

absent now, and scarred.

 

I have grown a backbone

of heartwood, veiled myself

in moss and lichen,

in garlands of winter moth

and mottled umber - all

patterns of

lights that glitter for the gods.

 

My leaves revolve around the sun,

live and die, I am honey and I am

poison,

from phloem  and xylem,

tenors of woodland,

masters of water,

as a Beech tree,

observer of the unwinding of hours,

as a Beech tree, 

an audience for death. 
 

 

Image is from here: https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Corot_-_Old_Beech_Tree,_about_...–30.jpg

 

Certificate U
Poem
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Comments

Submitted by marandina on

"...carved as deep as cambium.."

Stunning poem even if a sad finale ".. as a Beech tree, an audience of death." :)

 

Submitted by onemorething on

Thank you Paul. :) I think some trees are an audience to death, in a way, when they live for centuries or longer. 

 

Submitted by monodemo on

that is a very moving piece onemorething. 

very enjoyable

Submitted by onemorething on

Thank you! :)

 

Submitted by Insertponceyfre... on

wonderful (again!) - this is another that would be lovely to hear 

 

Submitted by onemorething on

Thanks insert, and well, you never know! :)

 

Submitted by Di_Hard on

I love " make enquiries of the soil" tentative, gentle, intelligent. Also "soothe of breeze" . Is "wound of love" when people carve hearts and initials into bark?

 

Submitted by onemorething on

Thanks Di and yes, I did mean the initials carved into bark as a metaphor of a wound for love. I somewhat childishly used the lines with one or two words to be read vertically with a similar line. Glad you liked it. :)

 

Submitted by Di_Hard on

not childish at all, thankyou for saying :0)

 

Submitted by mickleinapickle on

Ah yes.

 

Submitted by onemorething on

Thank you for reading it. :)

 

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on

You give this tree a character as you explore the complexities of its persona in its enviroment.

Always happy to absorb  poems like this one.

Jenny.

 

Submitted by onemorething on

Thank you Jenny. I was lying in the garden and I always have bare feet - it's supposed to be good for your nervous system to make contact, skin to earth, and I was imagining growing roots and becoming a tree...as you do! :)