Best wishes to anyone who has been touched by Hurricane Ian or is waiting to see what it will do next. I am so sorry for all the devastation I am seeing.
The Poetry Princesses gave their end-of-month prompt at the end of August. I found it at the end of Laura Purdie Salas' post. She wrote: "Want to write with us next month? Write a definito poem, a cool form that I first learned about from Heidi Mordhorst, and post on September 26 on your blog and/or on social media with #PoetryPals!" Heidi introduces her creation here!
I've known about it but somehow I have never tried one. Now I have! For this challenge, I've been messing with words for a couple of weeks, at least. I struggled to choose. Then I thought of my favorite kind of words, those that are exactly the same but differ in meaning, homonyms. This time, I wonder if each one does differ when researching it. Can there be a connection?
(Side note: There is a third definition of "bark", less-used, usually spelled "barque". Do you recognize it now?)
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| I live in an old neighborhood, looked out all my windows, and counted 26 trees that I could see. Their bark fascinates me every time I pass by when out walking. Here are four. The dog picture was found on Wikimedia Commons, titled "dog barking". |
Bark
Protecting trees and you!
They keep insides safe,
the cambium where trees thrive.
the homes where children flourish.
furry or smooth, patchy or rough.
One offers a forest’s fashion line;
another a family’s canine kin,
protectors
From insects and interlopers,
to fire and strangers:
the ‘bark’ of a tree,
the ‘bark’ of a dog,
both safety warriors.
Bark
Linda Baie ©