For Dave Bonta‘s Festival of the Trees for September. This Tree Hugger Central piece may be part of the ongoing tree poem series (two more forthcoming in Salt River Review and another in MiPoesias – yay!), but maybe not, because it’s not about a particular tree.
the forestry student
there is congress in the foothills
the high country in spring
stands open like temple doors and speaks
in clean ways
Douglas fir and Ponderosa
pine expound here
heart-sharp arguments
blue spruce and mountain hemlock
knife-scented claims
a girl alone walks the pine forest
her familiars at home
are mahogany and teak forest
banyan and jacaranda
in crisp noon she tells
their distant stories
feels the Colorado mountain rooted
beneath her feet and listens
to the strangers
these high copper columns mantled
with living bristle with
green-silver needle
call for deep listening
and hearing speech
a song of home rises
off the bright alpine meadow
and a wind-woman in bells drifts through
she makes wheedling arguments in
wind-ridden voice but the girl
shakes her head
and walks on
naming each new tree
saluting it
with all the nerves in her hands
with all the meaning in her voice
Hey, great! Some really memorable lines here.
Past editions of the FOTT have included quite a bit of poetry. I think it’s the most poetry-friendly of the nature blog carnivals (althought I and the Bird has linked to its share of poetry, too). Thanks for participating.
trees unite!
one of my favorite tree poems of yours. thanks for the link to the FOTT website.
a blue spruce fan,
sherry
blue spruce fans unite!
Wonderful poem, I really got the sense of walking through a forest with tall trees around. I can smell the pine
this is my kind of conversation.
thanks for the poem.