The Wisdom of Trees

Summary

The webpage content reflects on the profound connection between humans and trees through a free verse poem, complemented by images and additional reading resources.

Abstract

The webpage titled "The Wisdom of Trees" presents a contemplative free verse poem that meditates on the deep-rooted relationship between humans and trees. The poem draws parallels between the nurturing aspects of trees and the human experience, likening the trees' embrace of the earth to the amniotic connection that sustains life before birth. It speaks to the cyclical nature of life and death, the resilience of nature, and the interconnectedness of all living things, as exemplified by the trees' ability to communicate and support each other through an underground network. The poem is interspersed with captivating images of nature, credited to Pixabay contributors, which visually echo the themes of the verse. Additionally, the page provides links to further reading, including an article on the communicative abilities of trees and a guide on creative ways to promote writing, suggesting the author's interest in both environmental and literary topics. The poem concludes with a credit to Christina Ward, the author, and the year of publication, 2019.

Opinions

The author expresses a profound respect and admiration for trees, viewing them as wise and nurturing entities.
There is a sense of wonder at the natural processes of growth, decay, and rebirth, as well as the trees' ability to thrive and communicate through their roots.
The poem conveys a personal connection to nature, with the author identifying with a young white pine and its struggle to grow amidst an oak-dominant landscape.
The author seems to find solace and inspiration in the forest, suggesting that the trees carry stories and wisdom that transcend individual lifespans.
The inclusion of external articles on tree communication and writing promotion indicates the author's belief in the importance of environmental awareness and literary expression.

a free verse poem

I stand in awe of the wisdom of trees. Strong, silent, clinging to the earth in symbiotic hug, not much unlike the amniotic lifeline that brought us here. A skirt of oak-crackle piles, wind-stirred so, rustles the song of winter coming, abscission that came with the cold. I’ll not shed joy here like skin, peeled back and sloughed away. I’ll wrap in leaves, tall like trees.

The canopy shifts and sunlight pierces soil, — filtered, soft; uplifter of moss, diviner of acorn and birther of oak after oak, to carry the story to the skies when the last of these wise giants die, cyclic, eternal; nothing here is lost. Nothing is ever really lost, merely moved from our sight or unpeeled from our arms, a painful abscission until we release. The breeze through a swirl of leaves, agrees.

I’m told they speak, these trees. Nutrients riding a mycorrhizal network; the subways of soil. The white pine, still a juvenile thing, reaching; I pray she will have deep roots. Her middle is browned, needles burned, remnants of summer drought. Her trunk makes small sways as if finding her way to the sky is filled with obstacles, indecision. The squirrels wait for her girth.

Radial limbs like wheels mark her undeniably a white. Thankful, as I am not partial to Loblolly, and we are too far from the sea for the graceful fingers of the Long Leafs. But, a pine, no less in a small oak-domain, reaching all the same, as out of place as I, shoes between my feet and the soil, miles and miles between myself and sky.

The Wisdom of Trees

a free verse poem

Do Trees Talk to Each Other?

By Richard Grant, photographs by Diàna Markosian I'm walking in the Eifel Mountains in western Germany, through…

Promoting your writing:

12 Very Creative Ways to Promote Your Writing

Besides the big ones of Facebook and Twitter