I’ve been intending to post photos of the lightning tree since Spring, you may have thought it dead. But it was not.
Life forced its way back out into the world
Clever eh?
I’ve been searching for this poem since Spring, following a bit of a banter with Gerry, it was something about trees and seasons, I can’t now remember what. It would have helped if I could have remembered who wrote the poem, it was Roger McGough.
It is National poetry Day, so it seems fitting to have finally got my act together.
Trees Cannot Name the Seasons
Trees cannot name the seasons
Nor flowers tell the time.
But when the sun shines
And they are charged with light,
They take a day-long breath.
What we call "night"
Is their soft exhalation.
And when joints creak yet again
And the dead skin of leaves falls,
Trees don’t complain
Nor mourn the passing of hours.
What we call "winter"
Is simply hibernation.
And as continuation
comes to them as no surprise
They feel no need
To divide and itemize.
Nature has never needed reasons
For flowers to tell the time
Or trees put a name to the seasons.
~by Roger McGough
[This poem can be found in McGough’s
book Melting into the Foreground, 1986]
October 4, 2012 at 9:54 pm
Lovely! I didn’t know its National Poetry Day; thanks for the heads-up. I must post a suitable poem on my blog now!
October 4, 2012 at 11:19 pm
The Lightning Tree – a wonderful post, great photos, a very beautiful tree, a little natural wonder – and an amazing sculpture 🙂
October 5, 2012 at 2:55 am
An amazing thing, a tree. It shows how much something/someone can go through and still survive. Thanks for the posting.
October 5, 2012 at 2:05 pm
That is a fine poem and goes very well with the lightning tree. Life will find a way. New growth out of old bones.
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October 6, 2012 at 6:57 am
Terrific photos and a wonderful poem. I completely forgot that it was National Poetry Day! xx
October 6, 2012 at 12:55 pm
That’s very good. Animals also don’t tell the time, and don’t complain. Think of all those old dogs in the park who totter about on their wonky old legs. They just keep on keeping on.