The Twisted Tree

In safe and sound tranquility,

On solitary ground,

 Not well endowed in size or shape,

Nor with much verdure crowned.

 

Yet firmly anchored at the roots

With limbs towards the sky,

Thou ev’ry day wouldst gaily dance

Whene’er the wind wafts by.

 

No squirrel would make a home of thee,

No child would on thee climb,

Yet thou in all thy radiance

Hast stood the test of time.

 

Thy shade may not be vastly cast,

Thy trunk may twisted be,

Yet solemnly in shine or rain

Thou art good company.

-EDP

Reviews

[jacob erin-cilberto]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder....Charlie Brown's Christmas tree looked forlorn and ugly to most...but it had that spirit inside of it.
Trees are good company....even the homely ones...people are good company if we give them love...
there are strong roots in love, in equality....in kindness towards all.
i see this piece in an allegorical light...
one that is soothing....
j.

[emipoemi]

You pretty much hit the nail on the head with the interpretation there, Jacob. Thanks for reading. Glad you enjoyed it.

[Saoirse K.]

this is quite a beautiful piece
oddly
considering the subject
the titular twisted tree
i might have expected something a little darker and more wretched
so goes the trope anyhow

here you've painted this tree
not well endowed nor verdant
but rooted and strong all the same

very much an outlier
this tree, though twisted
still holds merit within itself
merit perhaps not easily discernable
nor does it conform to typical treeness
(yes treeness)
yet somehow it thrives
rooted strong and living long
despite its strange form
and provides what it can
little or as much as that may be

wonderful use of rhyme and meter
nice piece

[emipoemi]

There's more to all my work than meets the eye, my friend, I like to defy expectations. Thanks for reading. Glad you enjoyed it.
(and we're freaking poets; we have poetic license to use when necessary, so "treeness" is a bonafide word in my dictionary)

[Linda Marie Van Tassell]

I'm reminded of one of the most touching books, "The Giving Tree." Aren't all trees that way? Nature gives so much, and all we do is take. We could learn so much, think we do, and yet we know so little. I like the strength portrayed, the beauty denied, and the hope between the two.

[emipoemi]

Your comment kind of reminded me of Harrison Ford's response to the Climate Change movement where he said "Nature doesn't need people; people need nature". Hit the nail right on the head with that one. I agree that there's so much beauty in the world and that we could learn from it if we just took the time to take it all in. A lot of my poems implicitly delve into that aspect. Thanks for reading. Glad you enjoyed it.

[CD Campbell]

Don't judge a book by it's cover. Don't sneer at single malt scotch until you tried it. That's what I got in a round a bout way. This is a very nice Fourteener, 4 and 3. Good on you for sticking to the meter. It's a thankless job sometimes. CD

[emipoemi]

You're telling me. Been doing so for a long time, and only now getting some recognition. Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it.

[CM-Stars]

Wow. Beauty just bleeds out of every pour of yours huh? I think I'll put out a blanket in my imagination, hold this stanza and daydream...

"Yet firmly anchored at the roots
With limbs towards the sky,
Thou ev’ry day wouldst gaily dance
Whene’er the wind wafts by."

Amazing write!

[emipoemi]

Thank you so much! Go right ahead and daydream :) The best poems are conceived taking in the surroundings and letting your mind run wild. Glad you enjoyed it.

[Re-Pete]

this is quite lovely. i love trees. reminded me of 'Trees' by joyce kilmer -

I THINK that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.

a comforting write. good job. :)

[emipoemi]

You're not the first to make that connection - lol! Thanks for reading. Glad you enjoyed it.

[Blue]

You are crazy talented! Again, there are many TREE poems out there but you have a special way of looking at things and putting them in words that yours leave impression. You took my breath away! Gonna hug a tree now.

[emipoemi]

You do that! Yeah, I've gotten many comments about how brilliant I am, and all I have to say is that I give myself to the spirit, and let it guide me. I've been writing for over a decade now and can very much say, I've become one with the Muse. Thanks for reading! Glad you enjoyed it. Feel free to read any others at your leisure.

[Blue]

"I give myself to the spirit, and let it guide me. I've been writing for over a decade now and can very much say, I've become one with the Muse. " I've been blessed to know the Secret!!!! Thankyou!

[emipoemi]

You, my friend, have without knowing it already known the secret - already felt it – for the grand majority of your poems are divinely flawless. You read that right (that poem of yours entitled "the Boy with Books", I believe that's what it's called, is one of my absolute faves of yours).

[Blue]

AHHH! I think I must have. And along the way, I lost it--lost myself. Gonna find my voice and my muse again!

[A. Kim Spradling]

I rather like this poem. Oddly, but it reminds me of Joyce Kilmer's poem entitled Trees. You have the modern version. There is a tree outside my window here on the ranch that is like the tree you have written about. I like this read a lot! Yes, I read it from a literal perspective.

[emipoemi]

Wow! Thanks for your comments! The actual tree is one I saw on some campgrounds a few years ago. It's cool you've found one similar over on your neck of the woods. I better take a look at that poem, now that you've mentioned it, for frankly, I have no knowledge of it.

[A. Kim Spradling]

Joyce Kilmer lived during WWI. He was killed by sniper fire. A forest in North Carolina is named after him because of his love of nature and his beloved "Trees" poem. That one sniper squelched a fire that burned and a great yet not well known man.

[emipoemi]

I just read the poem, and I must say, I do know the poem, but I didn't know the poet by name. Yeah, it is a wonderful poem for what it is, and I'm glad to in your opinion be on par with his poem. Thanks again.

[H L Rose]

I like this one! I enjoy any personification or description of trees, (I don’t know, I like trees) but this one especially.
I got from it that some value was being put on the tree apart from the value that is usually given to trees. The fact that the tree stood the test of time made it good company, or it was good company because it stood the test of time(or they could be unrelated). Either way, there is something to get from looking at it from any perspective.
It also just made me feel. I haven’t quite deciphered how or what it made me feel, but it made me want to ponder the ideas and emotions that it evoked from my senses.
Definitely enjoyed this one!

[emipoemi]

The great thing about my poems is that I ensure they are open for interpretation. There is no right or wrong answer, there is just a world of possibility. So of course, feelings of "je ne sais quoi" are allowed, and maybe the more you read this poem the more it would occur to you just what you think it's trying to say. But I'm glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for reading.