Trees on the Arapuni Road

Gold cherry
Poem of the week
Pick of the Month

By Philip Sidney

Sat, 09 Nov 2019
  • 12304 reads
26 comments
 

When they felled the high trees
mother was delighted

she lived in fear of their imminent collapse
onto our matchbox house

despite their wounds
they lived on

great bodies stretched alongside the road
still elegant in their diminishment

their green turning brighter
in defiance of their rootless state

we climbed into their secret places - sat with the giant moths
on shattered bark as hand-sized insects walked on our arms

tiny hooks at the base of their legs held fast to our skin
and we wondered what they had seen in the night

while we were behind that other wooden wall
heads under woollen blankets

listening to cicadas and that noise beneath
we couldn’t name

we chewed on bitter leaves

later - after emptying stomachs past the yellow and the green
to the transparency of some unknown liquid that was in us but not of us

we contemplated the meat of our bodies and how - when we would be cut down -
our bones would lie white then turn to dust

we drove our toes into the dust of the road and
sometimes found giant pennies of the British Empire

fallen from the pockets of the last of the soldiers
who fought so we could live here

instead of the ones who did before.

Certificate 12
Poem

Comments

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

This is New Zealand? Such a glimpse of childhood wonder and interest of investigation and play.

Down the ages there must have been many instances of exploration and settlement in places new, and fighting, the whole globe over, time and time again. And, often, at least and at last, integration and peaceful and friendly co-existance. Rhiannon

 

Submitted by Philip Sidney on

That's right Rhiannon - a childhood memory.  Yep - there's probably not an inch of the globe that hasn't had a story like this. :)

Submitted by rjnewlyn on

This is our Facebook and Twitter Pick of the Day! Please share/retweet if you like it

 

Submitted by Philip Sidney on

Well thank you very much - how lovely! 

Submitted by Di_Hard on

Don't have adequate superlatives for this. The way you write, I feel I can touch things

 

Submitted by Philip Sidney on

What a lovely thing to say Di - thank you. smiley

Submitted by Insertponceyfre... on

A wonderful little escape into another world - you took me right there phil, thank you!

 

Submitted by Philip Sidney on

Thanks insert :)

Submitted by Parson Thru on

I really enjoyed reading this, Philip Sidney.

Very otherworldly.

Parson Thru

Submitted by Philip Sidney on

Thanks PT :)

Submitted by seashore on

A lovely read.

Thank you.

Submitted by Philip Sidney on

Thank you for reading Seashore :)

Submitted by hudsonmoon on

This is gorgeous, PS. I love it. 

Rich x

 

Submitted by Philip Sidney on

Thanks Rich - so glad you like it. x

Submitted by lenchenelf on

...the most memorable and resonating piece I've read this year. Your ability to bring sense of place, immediacy of actions and effect within a context of past events are skilfully controlled and enviable, you never let the narrative run away from you. Fabulous.

Best wishes

Lxx

 

Submitted by Philip Sidney on

What a wonderful compliment!  Thank you so much - you've made my day. :)

Submitted by Insertponceyfre... on

This is our Poem of the Week - Congratulations!

 

Submitted by Philip Sidney on

Thank you so much!  I think I'll read this afternoon at the Wheeatsheaf - Hope I see lots of you there!

Submitted by Insertponceyfre... on

Oh good! See you there!

 

Submitted by onemorething on

Beautiful poem. Love the giant moths and bark, well, all of it. :)

 

Submitted by Parson Thru on

Enjoyed hearing this read. The reading did immense justice to the written word.

Parson Thru

Submitted by Insertponceyfre... on

This is our Poem of the Month - Congratulations!

 

Submitted by Philip Sidney on

How lovely!  Thank you so much!

Submitted by MJG on

love the feeling of childhood, the wooden and woolen connection, the moths and cicadias and how the fallen trees link to bleached bones and pennies from soldiers. Beautifully depicted. 

 

Submitted by Richard L. Prov... on

A precious poem with corners that surprise. And we are the better

 for it.

Richard L. Provencher

Submitted by Frances Macaula... on

Your ability to invest us with your memories is so clever, thank you. 

Soundcloud:  https://soundcloud.com/search?q=FrancesMF