Sunday, October 16, 2011

Sunday Trees + Experimental Tree Plantation




Eighty Years


You’ve stood for eighty years, rooted
searching for your lost love
limbs outstretched in an empty embrace.

As seedlings, after the fire,
did you entwine,
only to have your better half,
your other self,
twin, mate, comrade
taken from you?

Now, like a lover sensing a cooling bed,
who in his sleep seeks across the vacant air,
your limbs await.



Such a tree ...


Such a tree as you could lead the march from Birnam Wood to Dunsinane:
your limbs lifted in signal forward, victory is ours.

Then again, your whirling arms could be a frozen dervish, mid-spin, mid-ecstasy,
enraptured in worship of your Lord.

Or you could be some Nessie of the hillside,
siren limbs luring sailors to the woods of their doom.

Perhaps you are the cursed one, forgotten,
longing for a supernatural reprieve, the maid who roused jealousy in a fatal flirt?

But no, you are a tree: the spirit of these ancient mountains,
ancestor, life-giver, cradle of a secret world. 
You stand high amongst your lesser sprouts,
mere saplings to your mighty rule.




Experimental Tree Plantation

If you would like to offer your own response to this Sunday Tree (or the previous ones), as an experiment, I am offering a ‘Mr Linky’.  Please link your ‘tree post’ rather than your blog, and link back to this Sunday Tree.

I look forward to wandering in your woods.

Isabel







PS I've never used this Linky-thing so only hope it works!  If it doesn't leave me a message and I'll try again.

10 comments:

jabblog said...

I like the idea of joining your Tree Plantation:-)

jabblog said...

I started with grand ideas (story of my life) but ended up with something far less:-)

Martin said...

Isabel - What a great idea, good poem, too. It made me think of something I wrote back in March. Hope it's okay.

Jinksy said...

Ah! Your comment on my blog left me wondering where the trees were, so I had to come by devious route, but I've found you at last!
I'll see if my muse will oblige, perhaps...♥

indiwriter said...

Hi Isabel, thanks for the shout. Am a tad busy with work so just linking the ready Rohida for now :)

cheerz,

Laurie Kolp said...

Sounds like fun... thanks!

ds said...

Love your tree poems! Will go take a walk in the woods and see what jumps out. Thank you.

Liz Rice-Sosne said...

Isabel these are marvelous. I have a passion for trees and always used to be putting my arms around them. They give one such incredible energy.

I am on the wrong computer at the moment ... but yes, I do wish to join your Sunday Trees ... such a good idea. Thank you and thank you too for your kind comments upon my war poems.

Willow said...

Isabelle, I love your tree poems. I thank you for the invitation to become part of your experimental tree plantation. I edited a tree poem from my blog and didn't like the results, meanwhile I lost the original. I have several tree poems from the past that I will have to dig around to find. What a wonderful project.

hyperCRYPTICal said...

Hi Isabel

Lovely poem and lovely idea and I shall endevour to take part soon! A little busy with things at the mo.'

Kind regards from a fellow tree lover.

Anna :o]