thirteen ways of looking at trees
i
trees know
to bend with the wind
otherwise they will snap.
ii
in the winter
trees seem to die
that is when
they send down roots
a lot happens
beneath the surface
iii
some people are like trees
they reach out
comfort
provide food
shelter
beauty
iv
others
like some trees
are invasive they
choke
stifle
lesser life forms
v
trees
like some people
survive
without a lot of attention
nature provides
water
food
sometimes if they are weak
they need support
now and again
you have to prune
dead branches
vi
if you plant a tree
you are responsible for it
make sure you choose
with care
it like adopting
a child or
a pet
due diligence is needed
before you commit
vii
everyone should have
a special tree
to hold in memory
a place to go
when you are
afraid
tired
lonely
in that way
a tree is like
a mother’s lap
viii
once you put down roots
you will grow
if you become at one
with your place in life
ix
learn from trees
even though they have differences
they are all trees
they belong together
x
trees are like families
sometimes
they have to give way
to make room
for one another
xi
even though trees
come in many different colors
they are still trees
contrast makes them
stand out
outstanding
xii
when you puncture
a tree’s trunk
with nails
it will bleed
when you puncture
another’s heart
with words
it too will bleed
xiii
in time trees
like people
will die
to make room
for new life.
I’m linking this poem to One Shot Wednesday at One Stop Poetry: http://onestoppoetry.com The inspiration came from a prompt posted by Brian Miller on that same website for Friday Poetically. It is based on the art of Alison Jardine, the artist behind the image above. For some truly amazing art, visit her site at http://alisonjardine.com This poetry is also reminiscent of a form of poetry perfected by Wallace Stevens.
the does and don’ts of trees… and you are so right… so much like people
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A lovely thirteen!
Anna :o]
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Love all 13 of your ways of looking at trees. Wonderfully done. Thank you.
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I enjoyed your 13 ways to look at trees, particularly the 3rd one!
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Beautiful…simply beautiful. I love how you compare trees, people, and life. Trees reveal much to us about the human nature. All we need to do is look and listen. Thank you for this poem.
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I like the way you compared trees to people for in many ways they have similar traits and trees can be grounded or uprooted it all depends on nature. The 3rd and 7th speak volumes to me.
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A wonderful art work.
I loved the sensitivity and truthfulness of your thirteen verses. Personally, I smiled at the reference of tree as a mother’s lap and of course the verse of puncturing of heart evokes a feeling of pain. Really good writing.
-HA
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A lovely collection of wisdom, number 11 being my favourite, I think.
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A lot of wisdom here laid out for us. Missing word in vi.
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very cool… and cool on using alison’s pic as well…
a tree is like
a mother’s lap… loved this esp. cause i remember how much comfort it was for me as a child to climb a special tree and just sit there and look at the world from another perspective…
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very true comparisons. trees, like us, have Souls.
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I really thing trees have souls…they feel and understand…they cry and laugh…you show all the important ways well
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for each stanza .. you could hear me say a little ah.. Victoria.. this how poetry should be.. little revelations.. golden nuggets of wisdom to learn about ourselves.. Great repost… I’m glad you did..
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…i like how you close the entire poem in the 13th… i think, that’s the true essence of life among every single beings…. so rich with beauty & sensibility… i enjoyed this… thank you… smiles…
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The voice in this is wonderful. For some reason I’m reminded of a child’s voice, assured, positive, intent on sharing what she’s learned ~
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I love the different views of the trees as home, as mother, as member of a community & finally giving way for new life ~
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Truly – there are so many ways to write about them – that I was lost thinking for a while…had I read yours before, I’d surely have adopted the same style 🙂
Read your collection twice – still difficult to pick any that I like most. The ending perhaps couldn’t be better.
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I loved every one of these perspectives. Really lovely.
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wow now there is a flashback…ha…one of my prompts too…smiles…i love these thirteen views poems….a lot we can learn from trees…to bend…surviving….
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It would be good if trees could die a natural death…not much hope of that happening with the devil on two legs destroying everything in the way of its ambition !
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Excellent! I enjoyed each and every perspective. A wonderful collection.
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Ever since you first introduced me to these “Thirteen” poems based on Wallace Stevens’ poetry I’ve wanted to try one. I love what you come up with to describe trees and how they mimic our lives.
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stunning!
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A perfect homage to the awesome tree. Nice! 🙂
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worthy inspiration drawn from trees, 13 wise poetic stanzas, I liked them a lot!!!
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wow such a unique poem … almost scientific and so well said.
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WOW … I really really like this piece … all 13 segments of it. Thank you for the timely spiritual message cloaked in the wonders of nature. 🙂
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in the winter
trees seem to die
that is when
they send down roots
a lot happens
beneath the surface …
this part I like the best!
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Oh,yeah. I liked that image, too. Oddly, it made me think of roots, in spite of the sunny colors, so I’m glad for your viii.
Enjoyed your 13
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Beautiful! I immediately thought of Shel Silverstein’s book: “The Giving Tree.”
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Oh, that’s a wonderful book. I haven’t read it in years.
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I have a GREAT love of trees. They are so well descibed here. I loved all of it but the first one, for me, say it all …. trees know to bend with the wind otherwise they will snap ….
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we would all learn to bend with the wind?????
Namaste,
Izzy
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this is too beautiful!
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How nicely you have put together the anthromorphic charactericitics of trees or should I say the vegetative aspects of Man? Eventually, it is same source that runs through everything isn’t it? Even at the level of mundane matter, trees and man are made up the same elements….carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen etsc…may be a little mor e of this and a little less of that.
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Comparison is so distinct here…my favorite was number 5!! each had a striking pause to it..beautiful!!
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[…] thirteen ways of looking at trees (liv2write2day.wordpress.com) […]
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I like the way you put down roots on this comparison and grew it full cycle.
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I love trees. I am drawn to trees. Beautiful poem, Victoria. When my kids were little, I used to sing a little verse that made them laugh, or not. It went like this: God is good to me; He keeps me in a tree. They would roll their eyes and say, MOM, stop it. Blessings to you…
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I really enjoyed this immensely, Victoria.
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I really like the 13 images of trees…you really thought about this relationship or built up the images over years… poignant and meaningful images. Thank you for the beauty of your words.
☮ Siggi in Downeast Maine, USA
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I certainly enjoyed these bids of appreciation for our beloved wooden friends.
Man, trees have popped up in so many of my favourite blogs recently. Before this discovery, while I meditated against my Maple tree, I was asked to write about “her”. My response was along the lines of, “Woot?”
I suspect it is yet another level of spiritual exposure being asked of me. Feels like exhibitionism! 🙂 I am not in a hurry.
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Really good piece. I enjoyed it from the first to last stanza. Very creative poem thanks for sharing:)
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ah a doubt tree-t then today…glad you played with alisons pic…in 13 ways no less…there is much we can get from sitting and pondering the tree…you pull some fine metaphors out of it…well played valerie
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really like tis one V. Love how it progresses, starting out a little formal and almost like a botanical guidebook, and as it develops, the simile/analogy of trees for human beings gets stronger (and more poetic). Excellence
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So much we can learn from trees; I love trees too… you did a superb job of showing us 13 ways to look at (and learn from) a tree… lovely, I liked this piece.
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Victoria..”when you puncture another’s heart”…that caught my attention
lovely description and relation to a life of a human
Jaye
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Wow from start to finish with trees and all different ways of looking at them with such great comparisions to life, nicely done.
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