Whittling Words

Gold cherry

By catherine poarch

Tue, 09 Sep 2014
  • 3396 reads
15 comments
 

I am carving my words from the Willow,

from the Apple Tree

and the Oak,

from the stubborn and ancient forests

that defied the Norman Yoke.

I am whittling words from the Elder,

from the Sycamore

and the Lime.

Their roots that delve into darkness

have drunk from

the draughts of time.

The birds that sing on the branches

have flown over

blood red seas.

Their songs seep into the sapping.

They glitter the sinewy trees.

I will hide my words in the city,

in the alleyway

and the street.

You may glance as you pass and forget them,

you may walk with them

under your feet.

I will plant my words on the barren,

on the cracks

in the paving stone.

I will grow you words out of darkness,

for when

you are standing

alone.

 

 

 

Certificate U
Poem
Miscellaneous

Comments

Submitted by celticman on

a good bouncy style and words that whistle through your teeth and whittles your breath.

 

Submitted by catherine poarch on

Thank you Celticman. And I hope your book's taking off. All the best!

 

Submitted by celticman on

Nice of you to say so (in a a post about the excellance of your poem).

 

Submitted by Dynamaso on

I really like the rhyme and rhythm of this piece, particular 'their roots that delve into darkness, have drunk from the draughts of time'. 

 

Submitted by catherine poarch on

Thank you Dynamaso. It's great when someone picks out a particular bit. Have a good and sunny day! Catherine

 

Submitted by Bee on

Loved this, Catherine !

Bee

Submitted by catherine poarch on

Thank you Bee, that's really kind of you. smiley

 

And whoever put that lovely colour cherry up the top, I'm amazed and grateful.smiley

 

Submitted by blighters rock on

Outward and inward, this breathes and suffocates in a seamless mess that I quite like. The word 'stubborn' seems important.

 

Submitted by catherine poarch on

I'd like to pretend I was aiming for 'seamless mess'! But either way I like the sound of it. Thank you!

 

Submitted by torscot on

I liked this.

 ( I am carving my words from the...) 

How about  adding  a Golden cherry tree that bore  the fruit from your  well deserved woody tale.

Regards.

torscot

Submitted by catherine poarch on

Hello. Thanks for your comment, torscot. A golden cherry tree sounds lovely! 

 

Submitted by VeraClark on

Enjoyed this, Catherine. I got a sense of Paganism and fae, deiberate or not. The natural growth of wood and whittled words together gains in power, ending most restoratively. Some lovely language.

 

Submitted by catherine poarch on

Thank you, Vera. I appreciate it very much. I don't know about paganism but I had thought of calling it 'The Peasant's English!' (as opposed to the King's or Queen's, the English language being one of the few things to have beaten the Normans).Then I decided that that might be a little heavy handed and over historical! And then also it veered off into a comfort song by the end. But certainly, I was going way back.

 

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on

Hi Catherine,

I don't know how I came to miss this amazing poem.

Loved everything about it and the style of words had me captivated.

Wonderful.  Congrats on the well deserved gold cherries.

Jenny.  smiley

 

Submitted by catherine poarch on

Thanks ever so much, Jenny. What a lovely comment. I'm not on here all the time because other things get in the way so I miss lots. When I am rich and famous I will get my butler to do the other stuff and I'll catch up! I hope you're well and writing lots. smiley