Thursday, October 24, 2024

The right conditions

Maples are such sociable trees ... They're always rustling and whispering to you.
~Lucy Maud Montgomery

Happy Poetry Friday! When I was looking for quotes, I also found this delightful one:
I remember it as October days are always remembered, cloudless, maple-flavored, the air gold and so clean it quivers.
~Leif Enger


It's been very gold today. *happy sigh* I am a fan of October. We have two tree-related poems this week.

letter to my father
by Sara Eddy

I’ve been walking around with a knot
in my belly all week for no reason.
There’s nothing wrong, no big turmoil.

But I feel everything, a web of open nerves
zapping to the tune of every little thing.
We finally had winter this week, after many...

read the rest here

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Whenever you see a tree
By Padma Venkatraman

Think
how many long years
this tree waited as a seed
for an animal or bird or wind or rain
to maybe carry it to maybe the right spot
where again it waited months for seasons to change


read the rest here

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Beyond Literacy Link has the Poetry Friday round-up. Thanks, Carol!

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18 comments:

  1. Linda MitchellOctober 25, 2024 at 5:49 AM

    ooooh, that Sara Eddy poem gets me. I was raised to revere the elders...all those things they said about the seasons and planting and the sky are tucked away in my brain for what seems no good reason. I'm a suburb dweller. I love a good city. But, in spring and autumn those bits of wisdom rise up...so much like the way Sara descibes in her poem. Thanks for sharing it!

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  2. Irene LathamOctober 25, 2024 at 7:45 AM

    In the book club I'm in, we just read PEACE LIKE A RIVER by Leif Enger, and the quote you shared is one that landed in my notebook. xo

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  3. Patricia FranzOctober 25, 2024 at 9:37 AM

    I love thinking of the hope trees hold! I'm taking that with me into the mountains this morning. Thank you!

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  4. Linda BOctober 25, 2024 at 10:48 AM

    I am surrounded by trees, Tabatha, and will never stop feeling grateful. That hope feels very good. And, in the first poem, remembering the love brought along even after a parent leaves us is beautiful. Thanks for both!

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  5. jamaOctober 25, 2024 at 11:32 AM

    Fabulous quotes and wonderful poems (second is my fave). Love the hope trees hold, yes!

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  6. TraceyKJOctober 25, 2024 at 11:56 AM

    Tabetha, what wonderful selections to share! “Has it been hard enough, this winter?” made me think of the myriad ways that line could be interpreted in this crazy time.

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  7. RuthOctober 25, 2024 at 12:47 PM

    Wow to that second poem! It's so true! And it applies to more than trees.

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  8. laurasalasOctober 25, 2024 at 1:22 PM

    Thank you for Padma's poem--I love it!

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  9. Margaret SimonOctober 25, 2024 at 3:08 PM

    As a person who lost a father 2 and a half years ago, the letter poem spoke to me. My emotions can run hot and cold on any given day. I think poetry is a place we can find ourselves and say, yes, that's me today. Missing Dad and feeling too much.

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  10. Rose CappelliOctober 25, 2024 at 4:02 PM

    Your post is a celebration of trees, Tabatha! I love both poems, especially Padma's concrete one. Thank you for sharing them!

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  11. Alan j WrightOctober 25, 2024 at 7:57 PM

    Tabatha, It is difficult not to acknowledge tree and sing their praises and you pay due homage here in your post. Thanks for the reminder. I'll leaf it there...

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  12. Michelle KoganOctober 25, 2024 at 8:29 PM

    Thanks for both of these deep-rooted feel-good poems, and quotes Tabatha, enjoy all those lovely amber-ochre, burnt orange and crimson colors! 🍁

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  13. Carol VarsalonaOctober 25, 2024 at 9:31 PM

    Tabatha, I love the quote and placed in my blog journal since I never read this one. Padma's poem holds a beautiful image of a tree. The ending lines were hopefilled. Thank you for adding some lovely thoughts..Leaves on the trees do whisper especially when they land in front of me.

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  14. Mary LeeOctober 26, 2024 at 7:14 AM

    YES to these gold days and to the hope we can see in every tree.

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  15. Liz Garton ScanlonOctober 26, 2024 at 7:35 AM

    Oh, thank you. I feel like I just spent time amongst the changing leaves...

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  16. jlcjbuzzOctober 26, 2024 at 11:25 AM

    Tabatha, Thank you for sharing these two poems. They both resonate with me in important ways. The poem about missing a father rings close to home. While my Dad is still living, he is slowly starting to fail (88 yo), thus all of our trips to see him. I've thought a lot about writing a poem about him. And the tree poem, well - I love it. It captures the essence of what I taught to students about nature in my garden club - wish I had the words come to me for it like Padma. I love October too.

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  17. Marcie Flinchum AtkinsOctober 26, 2024 at 4:31 PM

    Oh thank you for sharing these! Love tree poems.

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  18. Karen Edmisten October 29, 2024 at 2:54 PM

    Tabatha, Leif Enger is one of my favorite writers. He is sublime, and of course, L.M. is in a class by herself too. :)

    I loved this from Whenever You See a Tree:

    think
    how
    much
    hope
    it holds

    Yes.
    October is the bestest month.

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