Saturday, May 1, 2010

Live Oak


This is a first for me. I was assigned to draw a tree for class, and since I'm much more verbal than visually inclined, I wrote a poem and turned it into a tree. Let me know what you think. :) The poem is reproduced below because I doubt you'll be able to read it on many computer screens, but I wanted you to be able to see how it looks.














were I that old
clothed in moss and cobwebs
so stately
having seen men and grandsons plow these golden fields
having watched the sun set over the hills seventy thousand times
having freed children from gravity
offered myself as a memorial to lovers
comfort for the aged
had i gained the wisdom of the years
and the seasons and the storms
had i been singular in the eye of god for an eon
i too would send my roots deep into the hillside
embrace the land
let the earth whirl around me a thousand times more
as i hold still
motionlessly watching these curious young creatures all around
as they bustle about in their town in their cars
i'd send my branches out at solid gnarled angles
never moving
ever reaching toward the light