Safety

 

 

In the palm of my hand I hold a tree

whose roots are wrapped

like vines around my fingers,

sprouting fleshy arms, reaching,

stretching for the summer sky.

 

In winter I shield her from the frost

cupping my free hand over her canopy

holding her close to my bare chest

where the warmth of my being radiates,

a protective aura wherein lies comfort,

 

safety

 

In spring she blooms; leaves the color

of tiny dewdrops on frosted window panes,

dancing jewels in the breezes

that I have created with my own breath,

and rains that lightly whisper songs of

 

safety

 

In the palm of my hand I hold a tree,

a delicate representation of a world

where all things are given respite,

shielded from the outside, where

blood and tragedy mix and mingle

in a dance of delirious destruction, and

 

safety

 

is the only thing that I have left, holding

the beating life of my own inner being.

Reviews

[Gandré]

This poem is a conscious experience, you refute the traditional seeking for meaning and the present in your own model, based on metaphysical principles and your own intuition...we hold a tree in our hands... .. its growing is in our hands, which direction we take....perhaps this tree will stagnate for we aren't able to let it grow faster....its roots are there and wrapped in many layers of your memory, the past doesn't exist but it is influencing our now. I understoood this poem as a promise on oneself...an eternal seeking for meaning in our deepest self.

[Michael X]

Breathtaking execution, the idea has a way of convincing the reader what its means
to ponder the concept of innerself, imo. you did an amazing job leaving the
sepecific detail open to form, the idea swept me away in a most powerful way

[vindictivesunshine]

There's so much care and nurturing packed into this poem, and as always the imagery is ripe. Even with the sense of turmoil you still offer serenity. Always, when i think depth is bounded it picks up a shovel. Cheers to another great read.

[BrightEyes]

I loved the metaphors here and the imagery blew me away. the idea of safety being wrapped up tight and concealed; interesting. this is poetic personified here - wonderful flow and descriptions which paint vivid pictures for the mind - all the mind conjuring questions for the reader as well. nicely done.

[MagicHearted Knight]

I really like the imagery.

[The Rock And Roll Cowbo..]

This is a highly spiritual piece of ones own inner growth and how we choose to feed our souls is determines how much strength we have to endure troubled times... you really blew me away with this write.

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I don't know all of the fancy words that the other reviewers are using to critique this poem like, legal jargon, and such, I guess that kind of intellect is way over my head, so let me give you the idiot's way of saying "great poem."

Like always, your imagery when doing nature poems totally blows me away, and whether it's mother nature that is narrating, it doesn't matter, the thought is conveyed and the emotions of a nourisher, a protector, a lover is definitely not lost on me. Though I can see the tree as a hopeful dream that needs to be protected and nourished, something that needs to be kept in safety, perhaps something that is needed and conveyed in the eyes of the author. I just don't see the tree as a tree, but of something symbolic of something precious, something of great importance. And I have to say the third verse is my favorite. I just love that imagery, and the beauty behind it all. =)

[Don Coorough]

I had to read this a few times. One thing that struck me immediately was, I wanted a "safety" between the first two stanzas, like the others. Maybe, "Stretching for the clear (or clean or nourishing or whatever you choose to say) summer,/safety." That's an example not an attempt to re-write your poem. The word wherein, doesn't it sound too much like legal jargon for a nature poem?

You have some powerful lines here too, though, like: "where/blood and tragedy mix and mingle," "roots are wrapped/like vines around my fingers," and this whole section, "In spring she blooms; leaves the color/of tiny dewdrops on frosted window panes,/dancing jewels in the breezes/that I have created with my own breath,/and rains that lightly whisper songs." This is excellent evocation.

The tree, to me, symbolizes life, it could be the tree of life. The reciter of the poem, to me is Mother Nature, a symbol of all that is good in everything, everywhere. The bare chest, I see, as a reference to the heart, symbolizing pure love. The first three stanzas introduce, in order, summer, winter and spring. I see fall in the stanza about giving respite, but then, fall is a time of reaping, so maybe autumn doesn't need a placement here. Perhaps, you left it out on purpose, indicating to the reader that for us to reap the benefits of autumn's harvest, we must be more like Mother Nature, nurturing, caring, loving, providing safety. Then, you bring us to the end, and all Mother Nature has left is her own life, not the tree's life. She and the tree become one, in this sense. I take it as a metaphorical offering of a path to oneness, the path travels though nurturing and care and love, a path that creates an identification with that which is being given love. In the identification, we lose separateness, we become entangled, like the roots you describe with the fingers in the beginning, bringing the poem full circle.

I enjoy your writing so much, as you well know. I love the way you let go.

Peace, EllisD

[bluessadmood]

i can see you harbored this tree took good care of nourished it made it secure in you hands ,you gave it love ,you pushed it against your breast to give it warmth,you hold it in your fingers where is wrapped between your fingers,and its fleshy branched reached out to the sky,in the cold you shield her from the frost by your hands giving her warmth and protection,loved these words ...

In the palm of my hand I hold a tree,
a delicate representation of a world
where all things are given respite,
shielded from the outside, where
blood and tragedy mix and mingle
in a dance of delirious destruction, and
yes you surely want to see a world protected from evils,blood and tragedy
what wonderful thoughts you are a dreamer ,oh yes i can see that ,i love dreamers ,i think they are our hope of a better world ,oh dear i cling to you and implore you yes keep on dreaming ,for its the first step then we act ,for i know ,i know