Tears sprang to my eyes. This really expresses so much in such a short span -- the need for purification, and humble acceptance of suffering. Very well done, Tom. (I'm going to print this out and keep it where I can see it, as a sortof reminder and encouragement.)
Thanks Jess, tears are a far greater compliment than any words. 🙏 The initial driving force behind the poem is this sense of urgency I have about fixing any things about myself that I don't like as I approach my 30's, you can definitely feel the wood getting dry.
Just wonderful imagery. I especially liked “Courting the wind and bending where she blew, / Grew swiftly in the fertile Eden's clime” As vivid as it was unexpected! You’re really doing well with these, Thomas.
Thanks James! I had the first quatrain and the final rhyming couplet sitting in my notes app for about a week, and the connection between them was still a little vague and those lines you mentioned pulled it all together quite quickly when I finally sat down to finish it.
Thank you Marian, I hadn't read his poem before you mentioned it (I'm always discovering wonderful new poetry from your comments!) and it's very compellingly constructed.
Many thanks Mark, I'm glad it resonated at just the right time! I think, as we are approaching the Lenten season, I felt a sense of the pruning of the soul's garden in this poem.
Tears sprang to my eyes. This really expresses so much in such a short span -- the need for purification, and humble acceptance of suffering. Very well done, Tom. (I'm going to print this out and keep it where I can see it, as a sortof reminder and encouragement.)
Thanks Jess, tears are a far greater compliment than any words. 🙏 The initial driving force behind the poem is this sense of urgency I have about fixing any things about myself that I don't like as I approach my 30's, you can definitely feel the wood getting dry.
Yep, can relate. Any 'bite of the axe' gets harder to bear too, haha.
Finally, someone writing real poetry! With form, meter, rhythm and rhyme and meaningfulness.
Thank you Richard, that is exactly what I'm trying to achieve. I'm glad it hit the mark!
Just wonderful imagery. I especially liked “Courting the wind and bending where she blew, / Grew swiftly in the fertile Eden's clime” As vivid as it was unexpected! You’re really doing well with these, Thomas.
Thanks James! I had the first quatrain and the final rhyming couplet sitting in my notes app for about a week, and the connection between them was still a little vague and those lines you mentioned pulled it all together quite quickly when I finally sat down to finish it.
Love this!
Thanks Henry!
Great work man.
Thanks Cody 🙏
An interesting counterpoint to Robert MacFarlane's Heartwood - and beautiful.
Thank you Marian, I hadn't read his poem before you mentioned it (I'm always discovering wonderful new poetry from your comments!) and it's very compellingly constructed.
There's also a song based on the poem: https://youtu.be/chAuM8zZGgc
I love this:
"Misshapen boughs, deformities abound
Around my twisted trunk now hard and dry.
Welcome thy blows, I'll suffer not a sound"
Today I spent the afternoon pruning and shaping the beautiful things on our property, so this came at just the right time for me. Well crafted!
Many thanks Mark, I'm glad it resonated at just the right time! I think, as we are approaching the Lenten season, I felt a sense of the pruning of the soul's garden in this poem.