Linda Farmer Ames
Columbus Branch, Georgia
I, mighty oak, have stood rooted here
for greater than one hundred years,
surrounded by brothers and sisters,
all of Mother Nature’s children.
We poked the skies, loomed over heaps of fallen limbs,
leaves and brush, and beneath all that made homes
for living creatures who died and decayed
to create a bounty of nutrients for growth, rebirth.
Now I stand alone, no longer part of a forest of kin.
My expanse of roots, gnarled and exposed from years of
wind and water, heat and cold, reach out and around.
I remain to give shade, disperse sun’s rays, cool the ground.
The expanse of grasses planted fifty years ago,
groomed faithfully, are fed, managed by
manufactured matter. My limbs have been trimmed
or removed, yet I remain firmly planted among
glass, bricks, mortar, cement and asphalt.
I have survived these ravages dispatched by mankind
who has lived strong and mighty, frail and weak,
who has prevailed. All vulnerable, we live and die in a circle of time.
You remind me of a special tree, an oak, from my childhood days. My grandparents had a summer place out east on Long Island, NY. My grandfather built and hung a wonderful glider from a huge branch of that tree. So many owe so much to trees. So many lost brothers and sisters, so much lost to all of us. One lone and graceful tree can remind us of where we came from. And what we need. Lovely poem.
Thank you. I’m glad it sparked a happy memory from your childhood. Linda
Linda, a very powerful poem. As i face a potential tree cutting issue i will think of the wonders of mother nature, and the kin image. A true circle of time. Well done!
The title and subject pack a punch. Thank you.
And here:
“My limbs have been trimmed
or removed, yet I remain firmly planted among
glass, bricks, mortar, cement and asphalt.
I have survived these ravages dispatched by mankind
who has lived strong and mighty, frail and weak,
who has prevailed.”
Linda, How very thought provoking and emotionally moving. Thank you for sharing your talents.
I enjoy the vivid imagery of this poem. It definitely paints a picture in the reader’s imagination!
Thank you very much!