Thursday, May 6, 2021

It's May! And Poetry Friday! - One Special Tree


Thanks to our host this first Friday in May, Bridget Magee, at Wee Words for Wee Ones. She has a really special surprise, one of her stories brought to an audio storytime! Be sure to check it out and listen!




           I've read quite a few books about trees in my past, most recently a new book by Lita Judge, The Wisdom of Trees, How Trees Work Together to Form a Natural Kingdom, a non-fiction picture book. Also, last year I read The Overstory, a fiction book by Richard Powers. Certainly, there have been others and you probably know some titles, too. I often laugh and share that I bought my home mostly because of a hundred-year-old plus cottonwood outside my side door. 

          This week, after listening to an NPR interview, I discovered a scientist who has done extensive research about trees helping the forest, every part. Her book is Finding the Mother Tree - Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest by Suzanne Simard. It came out just this week! HERE is one article that includes some description of her work. And a small quote from it: "Before Simard and other ecologists revealed the extent and significance of mycorrhizal networks, foresters typically regarded trees as solitary individuals that competed for space and resources and were otherwise indifferent to one another. Simard and her peers have demonstrated that this framework is far too simplistic. An old-growth forest is neither an assemblage of stoic organisms tolerating one another’s presence nor a merciless battle royale: It’s a vast, ancient and intricate society. There is conflict in a forest, but there is also negotiation, reciprocity and perhaps even selflessness." 

            Last year, I took a picture of a marvelous tree that I thought I might write about during poetry month. Yet, I never did, so this week, I wrote, letting it tell its own recent story.




















30 comments:

  1. I love the refrain...what a great poem for this tree that looks so full of character. I can't wait to read The Wisdom of Trees!

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    1. Thanks, Linda. Lita Judge's book is a lovely one, and there are others recently out that celebrate trees, too.

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  2. Linda, thank you for this wonderful poem. You and I seem to share some of the same interests, as I have also recently read The Overstory, and that same NPR interview lead to me reading the first few chapters of Simard's book just last night after my copy arrived yesterday! Thank you for the picture you posted along with your poem. Sycamores like that one (if I'm not mistaken) definitely have the character to inspire a verse or two!

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    1. Wow, love hearing that you already have started the book, Tim. I am really looking forward to it. Thanks, also happy to hear of your own love of trees.

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    2. I think you're going to like it! If you haven't read David Haskell's The Songs of Trees, you should check it out as well (okay, and his The Forest Unseen). I've always loved being among trees!

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    3. I love them, too, have many here in my neighborhood, another reason I love it. Thanks for the other titles, don't know if I can get to them fast, but have put them on my list. Thanks, Tim!

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  3. Your poem and picture compliment each other perfectly, Linda. "Ah me! Ah Me!...I'll be around." The repetition is very effective! Well done. :)

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    1. Thanks, Bridget, it was fun to write about this specific tree!

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  4. It's so comforting to hear that trees are part of a community. Delightful poem, Linda, about a tree that has been where it is for so long. I just read that cottonwoods were the trees that were used to make dugout canoes by Lewis and Clark. And you have one in your yard!

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  5. That second stanza makes me so happy, Linda. After living in a newish neighborhood for many years, we love living among mature trees. I'm looking forward to checking out The Wisdom of Trees.

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  6. Wonderful photo and I love hearing the tree's POV. The ending, "I"ll be around" is so hopeful and speaks to nature's neverending cycle. Thanks for sharing about Simard's book and NPR interview. Fascinating excerpt. I'll be looking at our trees differently now. Say hello to your cottonwood for me. :)

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  7. Love the echoes of sighing and then the knowledge of "I'll be around." Yes, how lovely the lives of trees!

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  8. Thanks, Janice, Laura, Jama, and Margaret. I've been at the bookstore all day, suddenly had to work because of another's illness.It was fun, but I missed my Friday reading of posts. I'm glad you liked the poem & the info about trees. It's wonderful, isn't it?

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  9. I meant to add that I just read The Overstory, so have been thinking a lot about trees!

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    1. Terrific! It is certainly a book that will inspire one to think about trees, and admire them! Thanks!

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  10. A TREE KNOWS, is a perfect title for your poem, and they hold such wisdom. I love your second stanza
    "When you passed by
    and touched my bark,
    you touched my heart."
    Such sensitivity and heart hear and in your poem. I like the refrain and trailing off of
    "I'll be around—" wonderful pic too, thanks Linda!

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  11. Hi, Linda. Happy Mother's Day! How did I find you? Serendipity. It will be Mother's Day tomorrow in the Philippines. I was looking for a poem that reflects diversity. Couldn't find any. Suddenly remembered "A Card for Me Mum" by Bashabi Fraser. Googled it. Found the blog Gathering Books. And saw your comment. Isn't it amazing that we are alive in these pandemic times? Just want to tell you that my Fourth Little Pig is available as an e-book on Amazon. I see that your poem "A Tree Knows" is licensed under Creative Commons. Just the same, may I share it on my social media accounts? It is so beautiful that it must be shared. Thank you so much for taking the picture and writing the poem.

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    1. You're welcome to share, Carmelita. I checked your site, too. Your book about that Fourth Little Pig sounds nice. Thanks!

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  12. Thank you Linda (and Tim) for filling my TBR shelf at the library with more books about the secret lives of trees! (I'm currently listening to Wohlleben's SECRET LIVES OF ANIMALS!)

    Wonderful poem, Linda. I love the repetition/refrains. Thank you for giving the tree a voice!

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    1. Thanks, Mary Lee. Yes, my TBR list grows quite a lot each week. You may also like Sy Montgomery's How To Be A Good Creature : )

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  13. Not to add to the pile (what am I talking about? Of course I'm adding to the pile), but The Nature of Oaks by Douglas Tallamy is looking good, too!

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    1. I imagine that we need to create a list and it will be awesome, Tim! I just remembered that I have, and used with students, The Alphabet of The Trees, about nature writing (McEwen). Thanks for this new title, too!

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  14. Saving this post, Linda--and the voice of the old tree is wonderful. I can see that The Summer of Reading Trees is on the horizon!

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  15. I've read this poem over several times and it really says so much and carries such a note of hope for the future. I miss the daily Wabi Sabi style poems, but thank you for this.

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  16. The Overstory was such a glorious read, as is your poem,Linda. You are so right, this plan of Nature is truly astounding.

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    1. Thanks, Tara! If you saw in the comments, yes, The Overstory has been loved by quite a few.

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