This poem is so moving and profound. I also love the form of each stanza. I write poetry for the wonder and awe I have for the natural world and the human journey. Here is a poem I thought you might enjoy, hope you’ll give it a read (Substack did not print the right format 😔but hopefully the words carry the flow.) 🙏🏼
I'm delighted that you enjoyed this. I wrote it in a hotel room in a city last Sunday, in my early morning, knowing my day would be a busy one and very far from a forest. I was thinking my way back to the trees in the photograph.... to capture something that would sustain me through the day ahead.
You are a gifted writer, and a wise woman yourself, so the fact that you truly enjoyed this piece is an enormous compliment. You will know from your own experience how lonely writing can feel, and then how warm and fulfilling when it connects with someone else...
Thank you for making my day brighter with your words, David! It's such a beautiful thing to be a part of this virtual gathering place for us to share our writing that connects to a larger story being told, one that will all have our place in.
David, your poem has a way of touching the deepest parts of our souls. The line "We are restored to a state of wonder" is powerful, making me think about the importance of maintaining that sense of curiosity and awe in our daily lives. How can we continue to nurture that sense of wonder as we navigate the complexities of life? Your poem is a beautiful reminder to appreciate the present moment and the beauty that surrounds us.🙏
It is early here, on a bright, warm, clear day in Australia, but despite the promise of the day I was feeling a little "flat." Your incredibly "kind talk" comment on my poem has lifted my spirits on a day when I very much needed that, due to all those "complexities of life."
I do try to find wonder and beauty wherever I am. On a mountain or by the ocean that is easy - which is one reason I spend as much time in the natural world as I can. In the everyday world, however, it can require an act of conscious looking and seeing.
And then, sometimes, the world gives us an extra gift - as with these trees.
Aloha Dave, I'm so glad my comment was able to lift your spirits on a day when you needed it. The natural world has a way of inspiring us, doesn't it? I can totally relate to your love for nature. I live near the ocean and I'm always in awe every morning when the sun rises over the water. It's moments like those that fill my heart with gratitude and peace. Wishing you a peaceful and uplifting holiday season, filled with moments of wonder and connection with nature.
Ah! I too live near the water most of the year - on a riverbank, on an island in the river - though I visit the coast often too. Many of my coastal poetry and prose pieces are here on my Substack.
We are ourselves part of the natural world - even if we alienate ourselves from it - and nature calls to us. All we need do is listen (and treat it better).
Dave, this is stunning. What an arresting photo: it seems incredible that two trees would grow side by side like that with limbs meeting midair. Your words invite us to enter their doorway and let living things teach us to be more alive. I enjoyed reading through the comments and hearing people respond to the form and content. I've been reading Denise Levertov to get ready for Advent season, and her understanding of form reminds me of your intentionality. There is an organic form here that suits the poem and lets the reader experience it more fully without anything feeling forced. Really lovely; thank you!
Thank you - again - for such warm and thoughtful comment. Whether we create meaning, or whether the meaning is inherent in what we see, depends upon who we are, and how we are in that moment. I came across these two sublimely beautiful trees in an otherwise unexceptional stretch of bushland - forest - almost on the crest of the local sea cliffs. It seemed a static scene - and quite arresting - but as I sat I imagined how it would look on a longer time scale, as if I could see it all in time lapse, the branches reaching out for one another, meeting, touching, reacting....
The poem needed to be brief, and to hint at the fluidity and relativity of time. The form helps to make that happen, I hope. A the very least, it brought me joy and peace to write it, and if some of that joy and peace transmits to you as a reader, and as a wonderful Poet yourself, then I am more than delighted.
Yes, exactly this. The form supports the meaning and doesn't distract the reader. Sometimes form can be so impressive, you think only about the form instead of the poem, if that makes sense. This just fit so beautifully. I enjoyed rereading your poem today. Thank you, Dave.
The last photo is of a pool in a tropical rainforest, deep in Mossman Gorge, where we went swimming a few months ago. Crystal clear and surprisingly cool - the water has flowed down from the mountains above.
Each stone has a story, and the flowing water feels like time itself….
Thank you dear Mahdi. Delighted to see you back here. By ... coincidence I suppose, but it seems now more like a sign - I am in the city of Melbourne and two days ago I stumbled upon a "Persian Festival" event in the city centre. Art, food, music.... all of it beautiful, and exceeded only by the beauty of the people themselves. It was wonderful!
Beautiful write, Dave. I particularly love this line & alliteration: sunlit and shadow netted, hand in hand, heart in heart through an archway, into a future.
“We are re-educated by a forest.” 🌳 💚✍️ love this thought, entire poem- stellar!!!
Thank you, dear Marjorie. I am truly delighted that you enjoyed this!
Best Wishes - Dave :)
Stunning! Especially, “we are rearranged light” 😍✨
Thank you dear Alex.
Happy day to you!
D :)
Dave, this is like taking a drink of clear, cold water straight from the center of the Earth.
Oh Rebecca
My thanks.
I would send you a jar of cool rainforest river, but it would just warm up and lose its essence. My words will have to do.
M has a picture to send you though. Events keep delaying us, and we are away from home right now, but we will get to it...
D :)
This poem is so moving and profound. I also love the form of each stanza. I write poetry for the wonder and awe I have for the natural world and the human journey. Here is a poem I thought you might enjoy, hope you’ll give it a read (Substack did not print the right format 😔but hopefully the words carry the flow.) 🙏🏼
https://open.substack.com/pub/fairiesandgnomes/p/everything-has-a-voice?r=19igav&utm_medium=ios
Hi Laura
I'm delighted that you enjoyed this. I wrote it in a hotel room in a city last Sunday, in my early morning, knowing my day would be a busy one and very far from a forest. I was thinking my way back to the trees in the photograph.... to capture something that would sustain me through the day ahead.
I will read your poem now. Thank you!
Best Wishes - Dave :)
This is one of my favorites of yours Dave, there is such a well of wisdom pouring from this poem 💛
Dear Ash,
You are a gifted writer, and a wise woman yourself, so the fact that you truly enjoyed this piece is an enormous compliment. You will know from your own experience how lonely writing can feel, and then how warm and fulfilling when it connects with someone else...
Best Wishes always - Dave :)
Thank you for making my day brighter with your words, David! It's such a beautiful thing to be a part of this virtual gathering place for us to share our writing that connects to a larger story being told, one that will all have our place in.
David, your poem has a way of touching the deepest parts of our souls. The line "We are restored to a state of wonder" is powerful, making me think about the importance of maintaining that sense of curiosity and awe in our daily lives. How can we continue to nurture that sense of wonder as we navigate the complexities of life? Your poem is a beautiful reminder to appreciate the present moment and the beauty that surrounds us.🙏
Good morning Maria
Thank you!
It is early here, on a bright, warm, clear day in Australia, but despite the promise of the day I was feeling a little "flat." Your incredibly "kind talk" comment on my poem has lifted my spirits on a day when I very much needed that, due to all those "complexities of life."
I do try to find wonder and beauty wherever I am. On a mountain or by the ocean that is easy - which is one reason I spend as much time in the natural world as I can. In the everyday world, however, it can require an act of conscious looking and seeing.
And then, sometimes, the world gives us an extra gift - as with these trees.
Very best wishes to you.
Dave :)
Aloha Dave, I'm so glad my comment was able to lift your spirits on a day when you needed it. The natural world has a way of inspiring us, doesn't it? I can totally relate to your love for nature. I live near the ocean and I'm always in awe every morning when the sun rises over the water. It's moments like those that fill my heart with gratitude and peace. Wishing you a peaceful and uplifting holiday season, filled with moments of wonder and connection with nature.
Hi Maria
Ah! I too live near the water most of the year - on a riverbank, on an island in the river - though I visit the coast often too. Many of my coastal poetry and prose pieces are here on my Substack.
We are ourselves part of the natural world - even if we alienate ourselves from it - and nature calls to us. All we need do is listen (and treat it better).
Have a wonderful holiday season.
Best Wishes - Dave :)
Dave… there’s a gentleness in this, like you’re trying to wrap the reader in soft light. it’s tender, and some lines land with a quiet beauty.
Thank you dear Elham.
It warms my soul that you feel that, and it reminds me how deeply fortunate I am for my words to find readers with empathy and interest.
This is a poem about love, as much as anything, and I find love suffusing most of my work, more and more...
Best Wishes - Dave :)
🙏🙏🙏❤️
We are rearranged by light. - Beautiful!!!! That is such a powerful image!
Thank you my friend!
D :)
Beautiful work, David. Both the photo and the poem are inspiring!
Huge thanks for the very kind comment, Justin.
Very Best Wishes - Dave:)
Great piece, Dave. I saw a tree yesterday with a clear winter sky looking through it and I thought of your tree. Thank you, richard
Hey Richard!
Thankyou! I can simply never be bored with trees….
Such infinite variety.
Best Wishes - Dave :)
Dave, this is stunning. What an arresting photo: it seems incredible that two trees would grow side by side like that with limbs meeting midair. Your words invite us to enter their doorway and let living things teach us to be more alive. I enjoyed reading through the comments and hearing people respond to the form and content. I've been reading Denise Levertov to get ready for Advent season, and her understanding of form reminds me of your intentionality. There is an organic form here that suits the poem and lets the reader experience it more fully without anything feeling forced. Really lovely; thank you!
Dear Abi
Thank you - again - for such warm and thoughtful comment. Whether we create meaning, or whether the meaning is inherent in what we see, depends upon who we are, and how we are in that moment. I came across these two sublimely beautiful trees in an otherwise unexceptional stretch of bushland - forest - almost on the crest of the local sea cliffs. It seemed a static scene - and quite arresting - but as I sat I imagined how it would look on a longer time scale, as if I could see it all in time lapse, the branches reaching out for one another, meeting, touching, reacting....
The poem needed to be brief, and to hint at the fluidity and relativity of time. The form helps to make that happen, I hope. A the very least, it brought me joy and peace to write it, and if some of that joy and peace transmits to you as a reader, and as a wonderful Poet yourself, then I am more than delighted.
Best Wishes - Dave :)
Yes, exactly this. The form supports the meaning and doesn't distract the reader. Sometimes form can be so impressive, you think only about the form instead of the poem, if that makes sense. This just fit so beautifully. I enjoyed rereading your poem today. Thank you, Dave.
Beautiful and profound, Dave. I especially love that body of water in the last photo. What would we call it?
Hi my friend!
Thank you - as always, dear Nazish.
The last photo is of a pool in a tropical rainforest, deep in Mossman Gorge, where we went swimming a few months ago. Crystal clear and surprisingly cool - the water has flowed down from the mountains above.
Each stone has a story, and the flowing water feels like time itself….
Best Wishes - Dave :)
Dear Dave,
It’s good to be back, and to read these lines that resonate so deeply at this exact moment in time.
Best,
Mahdi
Thank you dear Mahdi. Delighted to see you back here. By ... coincidence I suppose, but it seems now more like a sign - I am in the city of Melbourne and two days ago I stumbled upon a "Persian Festival" event in the city centre. Art, food, music.... all of it beautiful, and exceeded only by the beauty of the people themselves. It was wonderful!
Best Wishes - Dave :)
Beautiful and uplifting.
Thank you Jordan. It was written at the start of a difficult day. Poetry follows us everywhere, even on those mornings...
Best Wishes - Dave :)
Beautiful write, Dave. I particularly love this line & alliteration: sunlit and shadow netted, hand in hand, heart in heart through an archway, into a future.
Dear Maya.
My thanks. The world leaves us so many messages. We are either Poets, or deluded. Perhaps both....
Best Wishes - Dave :)
The tree image and the poem work beautifully together. I too love the line “we are re-educated by the forest”. May it be so 🌲🌲
Thank you, friend Holly. Yes indeed... may it be so...
Huge best wishes
Dave
Warm smiles in return💛