Ph: Oklahoma: Trees Please Poem by Brian Johnston
Ph: Oklahoma: Trees Please
I never have met a tree I didn’t like,
Including the pear tree that almost killed me,
But brittle fruit trees have a contrary side
And seem to not mind that they’re losing a limb.
‘One hand, different branch’ I have found a good rule
When plumbing their depths for the hidden reward.
Oh, trees really served me when I was a boy
Good parents that listen so hard to each word
You see further when you are perched in their arms
Though wind blows, there’s still is a palpable peace
It’s not so much that you are closer to God
But height does bring safety from those on the ground.
It’s not really that it’s a myopic world
Folks just don’t look up unless they hear a noise
Invisible children can grow in a tree
And find their maturity safe in the arms
Of child loving giants (whose foliage protects)
The clinging young boy that a street gang has chased.
And yes, there were times when a stranger did help
It’s scary though when other kids join the pack
More safety in adults that dogs of war fear
In heat of the moment there’s no time for prayer
The knowledge God loves you not comforting fact
But trees still are friends you can find anywhere.
April 24,2014
Poet's Notes:
This is very much a companion poem to another recent poem... 'PH: Life: Hidey Holes.'
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
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4/25/2024 4:25:21 AM # 1.0.0.1119
favorite lines: It wasn’t so much you were closer to heaven But height does bring safety from those on the ground. trees were my friends also, but not to get away from things. i sought out birds' nests, a closeness to the wind, and a perch from which i could look down at the world. of course i came down for meals. once i came down when i wasn't even trying to come down. atop a relatively tall spruce? for a boy of about 12? , i was enjoying my ride at the trees tippy top', the wind adding to the angle at which the top bent towards Earth, when suddenly the top snapped off completely, with me still firmly attached to it! down i went, falling, still clinging to the tree, and i landed on my back, luckily on a flat, relatively soft patch of ground. after recovering my breath, i noticed the jagged pieces of cinder blocks probably brought into the woods by other kids from a nearby building site. they were within a few feet of my ‘landing pad’. it was an exhilarating ride, before and after the tree's top broke off. and more than 50 years after I used to sit in a roadside maple tree, watching passing cars etc., I returned to the tree and hauled myself (somehow) into it for one last look. what fun, as Brian Johnston would probably say. :) bri
Wow I think that this review is one of the best you've ever given me. Thanks so much Bri!