Evergreen

They’ve hauled me into the parlour, secure in terracotta packed with soil, to sit awhile before my ritual humiliation. Soon I will be baubled, showy, gaudy, tinselled - the court jester who will keep them smiling through their feast - and burdened with things that dangle, like a tart’s cheap earrings, and those little wooden reindeer, hand-painted, made in Korea. But for now they seem to contemplate my noble nakedness, their eyes detained by something unplumbed in their reality; and they are silenced, for just an instant, by a notion, perhaps, of distant green, a timeless forest that impinges on the periphery of their awareness, seeing me as I would remain, could they but permit such an insult to their tradition.

Reviews

[Elyne Knight]

I love this! I always feel bad for Christmas trees - at least this one seems to be properly potted so hopefully it can survive the degradation! The way you contrast the dignity of nature with the commercialism of culture works beautifully, especially as you hint at a reversal of perspective in the final lines, where it's the tree that would insult the culture if it didn't conform. I wonder if with the name Evergreen you are conveying that this is a perpetual cycle, that the acceptance of other perspectives - even when they feel insulting and incompatible - is the only way forward. Or am I reading too much into this?
I don't really have any critical comments other than that maybe some lines could be condensed slightly, but that's a stylistic choice and wouldn't necessarily make it better.
Awesome work, thanks for sharing!

[Andrew John]

Very useful review, thank you. I suppose I'll leave it as it is, since it's been here and there in this form. Something for me to think about in future (this poem must be 15 years old, I reckon). As for that title, I admit that I didn't think further than a type of tree, so thank you for your thoughts.

[Elyne Knight]

I'm glad it was helpful! Looking forward to reading more of your work.

[Chris Shaw]

No trees were felled to celebrate Christmas in our home. I like to see them where they belong, in woodlands and forests green and smelling of pine. Great personification here Andrew.

Chris

[Andrew John]

Thank you, Chris. It's been on the site for quite some time. I'm so glad it's come to some people's attention.

[Chris Shaw]

It’s good to give old poems a breath of fresh air:)

[Casey Truax]

Another remarkable experiment in personification, hinting at an ancestral memory of a pre-industrial, even pre-Christian past. Well done.

[Andrew John]

It's been on the site for quite some time, so I'm pleasantly surprised that it's come to some people's attention. Thanks for your comments, Casey.

[poetgurl]

Wow, one to ponder on, enjoyed the read