Sweet Gum

An exercise in blank verse, inspired by my favorite tree. Enjoy the cyclical nature of the poem!

whose lately brilliant rays are these? They fall

down past the barren branches to rest on the ground

which holds the tree: a stately sweet gum.

Its roots meander beneath the sod to feed

the xylem and phloem with water and sugars, up

to branches bearing five-pointed leaves.

What a spectrum: cinnamon, saffron, like stars.

They drift on breeze so slight to rest at last           

on pavement wet with evening’s rain. But now

the sky, though grey, is cheered at last by sun

Author's Note

What do you think of the blank verse and varied feet within the lines?

Reviews

[VALORMORE DE PLUME]

The punctuation throws me, or is perhaps wasted on me. Do barren branches cycle with five pointed leaves? Forgive me, I do better to intuit the feeling, rather than bisect the anatomy of form.
I see, sunshine dividing the low clouds, warming the soil, opening the buds,feeding the leaves, coaxing the aromas from the bark that has washed into the street. A delight to the observer, an inspiration to the reader.

[DaughterNature]

Sorry, the punctuation doesn't end the lines because I tire of poetry that feels heavy (lines ending thoughts) -- I like to mix it up. The cycle was supposed to be the seasons as well as the circle of the poem, and the barren branches of a sweet gum used to hold 5-pointed leaves (the leaves of this species of tree look like stars in all the colors I mention). Thank you for enjoying!

[Michelle N. H.]

Really nice flow this poem has, and I adore the fact that it was inspired by your favorite tree, beautiful. Reading was a delight for me.

[DaughterNature]

Thank you! How did you feel about the rhythm? Did the way the last line flows back into the first make sense?

[Michelle N. H.]

It makes for a full circle. The rhythm is flawless to me as long as one reads every line as they are meant to be read from start to finish, instead of following the natural flow of the symbols.