Dead Oak Tree..

There can be a strange beauty in death..

It stood alone, as if an outcast from the nearby woods. How did it get there? You could tell it once was a mighty Oak tree, like the many that still stood tall and alive nearby. Once it's great limbs held a massive amount of lush green leaves. Now, it's limbs looked brittle and barren, void of any life. Many of it's limbs laid at it's base, like markers to a grave.

I found myself fixated on this one solitary tree, bypassing the natural beauty of the forest with it's thick green foliage. I was looking at a dead tree...a dead tree that was magnificent in death. In the background were fields of fruitful corn, and an old weather beaten red barn. It seemed to add to the tree's magnetic attraction.

Of all the natural beauty surrounding it, it occurred to me a painter would only want to capture the lone, breathtaking silhouette of this still massive, but lifeless tree. So I painted with words..

 

i'm gonna be gone someday

what do i want my memory to say

how will life remember me

let me be a dead oak tree

let me stand all alone

gone,but standing on my own

no marker, or stone engraved

let me stand where once i swayed

there's beauty in the shadow of death

a haunting image that takes your breath

to leave behind for all to see

to die in grace, a dead oak tree

let their eyes scan the fields

of stunning woods,and bountiful yields

i want to stand with my shadow cast

against horizons where nothing lasts

i was here, and here i'll be

forever live...the dead oak tree

 

Author's Note

I am still working on this piece..

Reviews

[Bhavya Kaushik]

"There can be a strange beauty in death.." - Yes, I agree...there is always a strange hidden beauty behind not only death but also behind pain, behind tears and behind heartbreaks.
This poem is certainly very different and you succeeded in conveying your message from the idea of a dead oak tree. This is indeed a very thoughtful piece of writing.
It is not at all only about the dead tree or the comparison of your life with the tree but it is widely about the philosophy behind the life of every individual.
Brilliant piece of writing!

[V. K. Harris]

This is one of your greatest works my friend. It is so powerfully written and saddens me to think someone so strong and full of life will one day pass, so you see you have left your Great Oak Tree for all to see and admire. You are a my mentor, I have learned so much from you and will continue to think of your brilliance forever... Cheers my Friend...

[Nancy Lee Shrader]

That is a beautiful piece. We all see the beauty of the turning of the leaves as they are dying. It is God's way of telling us that that is more to come.

[Frank Terino]

This is a great poem with fluidity and motion, bringing the tree to life in so many ways,
I like the way the vivideness moves and identifies the theme, beautifully written and a pleasure to read.

[Aspiring Angel]

I love trees! They stand in place and watch over smiles and laughter, tears and sorrows. I guess I was drawn to your title because of my own feelings that I do have posted on several writes here.

Wonderfully painted my friend. If you do add to this please let me know.

Blessings,
Lesa

[Deborah Leah Krempa]

Rain I love this poem, it's so nicely written. A job well done. You have captured a beauty in death of the tree. Thank you for sharing. Debileah

[Lena M. P.]

So much beauty in what was. You captured the true essence of beauty and power that can only be found in one of these fallen soldiers. My favorite thing to paint and to photograph are trees. Dead, live or dormant there is something extremely powerful in their stature. They dance with the wind, they stand guard in the night, and they protect and host small animals from harm within their branches. They give the air that we breathe and cleanse it of our pollutants. They will stand long after we are gone. Wonderful tribute.

[Kenji Light]

Poetry is really nothing more than a subtle form of death. I think that writing on death through the outlet of poetry, seeks a new level in the explanation of termination in general. Essentially, poetry ends, the moment dies, and in this case, the subject is dead. I think that you do a marvelous job contrasting the living and the dead, and even the dying in the case of the old barn. The form was also unique and well done in that the opening is not rhymed and then later, the rhyme pours out quickly, and marks a grand departure from the world and the piece. I am too disconnected at this point in time to suggest revisions, but surely there must be something, as you are still working on this piece. It has been awhile good sir, and I am sorry that it took so long for me to leave you another review. Your account was closed for awhile, so I naturally feared the worst. Glad I was mistaken. -Kenji

[Silent Kim aka mizmetap..]

Nature has a way of creating it's own beauty in our eyes. A dead oak tree, standing alone, it's presence known. Very soothing and tranquil feeling in this poem.

[Donald Meikle]

As are we all (still working on this piece). It's well painted words. So soon that's all we'll be.
How mood enhances vision. and how vision becomes visionary.

[Jet Lag]

you are a huge nurturting oak tree giving off shade, inspiration, and oxygen now.