Oak Apple

Cherry

By onemorething

Thu, 02 Dec 2021
  • 1131 reads
8 comments
 

Poem 6 for Day 6 of National Tree Week. The Oak was on insert's list and also a request from Polly Oliver on Twitter. I thought I'd focus on the oak apple gall wasp for this one - fascinating creatures and life cycles. 
 

The oak gives sermons

to clusters of gall wasps 

who listen to the shape of leaves,

the depth of green, the music

of hormone and chemical.

The gall wasps listen -- we exist

in each other and so we exist --

from roots, wingless, to climb

our tower of bark, an egg 

for a leaf bud, the swell of larva

into its own soft ball, neither oak

nor wasp, yet being both oak and gall.

 
Image is from here: https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Text-book_of_structural_and_physiological_botany_(1877)_(14796456523).jpg

 

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Comments

Submitted by marandina on

"The gall wasps listen - we exist in each other so we exist.." Wise and beautiful :)

 

Submitted by onemorething on

Ah, thank you! I like being called wise or my poem being called wise, at least! :)

 

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on

I like how you've given the shapes and colours of leaves sound, like musical notes of nature. I've never heard of the gall wasp before, so you've taught me something new with this poem Rachel. Will certainly look up this intriguing wasp.

Love the oak, it's certainly very old and wise...the oak apple seem to work for this wasp..

As always enjoyed reading.

Jenny.

 

 

Submitted by onemorething on

Hi Jenny, thank you! Yes, do look them up, complicated beings - two generations in life cycle, but how they stimulate an oak's hormones to produce the gall, use some of the tree's food supply, and are themselves food for the birds who visit the tree. :)

 

Submitted by Insertponceyfre... on

How fascinating onemore! You have driven me to google again - I'd heard of these creatures but didn't know anything about them bar the name - the oak is their whole world isn't it. Thank you for another beautiful tree poem

 

Submitted by onemorething on

Hi insert, yes, a tree is a universe in its own right and gall wasps are so interesting. And thank you, am glad you like this one. :)

 

Submitted by Di_Hard on

" listen to the shape of leaves,

the depth of green, the music

of hormone and chemical."

I love this :0)

 

Submitted by onemorething on

Oh good! So glad, Di. Thank you! :)