Dearest Forest, I’ve loved our time together, Shared adventures in all the weather. Being among your trees Listening To the wind rustle the leaves On warm summer days. Watching Bare branches scrap and sway In the clear blue skies on winter days. Witnessing The miracle of buds to leaves Through the misty rains of spring. Taking in Stunning colors that seem to sing. Enjoying The crunch that only fall brings. With you I got to view Life go round In the critters playground. While the sun filtered down Like a glowing gown Laying upon my skin Sending the world into a spin. Hidden Beneath the wild mistletoe, There we declared our bond. But I couldn’t protect you from the foe, For man’s progress, I could not slow. My heart aches to see you go. Like a trail of dominoes, Leveled. Replaced By a sea of gray Walls, bridges, even a beltway. Our paradise is no more. I'm now trapped with no door. As you are hauled to the yard, We are all marred. My love you know, I have no doubt. I wish my letter rang With joy throughout. Farewell, I must bid instead. Heavy my heart does tread. Life’s breath endures another hole Mourning your loss - the toll. Forever remembered you’ll be In pictures and paintings in the gallery. I’m sorry they couldn’t realize, With their own eyes, The gift you were sent to be… Full of life-giving, beautiful trees. With my affection and loving memories, Earth
Earlier in the week Sherry at earthweal asked us to think about deforestation in our area, and write about the trees in our part of the world. I did not get a chance to write my poem in time to link up, so I am linking up with earthweal’s Open Link Weekend #62.
The woods in my area are being cut down at a rapid rate to make room for the huge boom in growth we are experiencing. I thought our home was perfect when we moved here 10 years ago. I loved all the trees around us. So I find all this new construction/destruction to be sad, almost unrecognizable. You know it’s bad when you are driving your usual route to a location you visit every week and your child says, “We’ve never gone this way before.”
The line from the Counting Crows song Big Yellow Taxi often plays through my mind,
” They paved paradise and put up a parking lot”
Big Yellow Taxi – song by Counting Crows
Listen to the song here, https://youtu.be/ypYQhTlakEo
For my poem, I decided to take my love for the woods and write it like a love letter from the earth.
Photo: Pexels
Thank you for reading. Have a wonderful day.
With a grateful heart,
Heather
© Heather ~ Home Study From The Grateful Heart All Rights Reserved
Such a sad and heartfelt love letter. I like the way you framed this.
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Thank you Ingrid. It makes me so sad every time I see another section cleared.
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Wonderful poem. The form is so fitting. I’m not very familiar with Counting Crows, I’ve never heard this version of the song Big Yellow Taxi. That one line in it packs a punch. It seems we just never learn.
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Thank you sgeoil. Seemingly so, unfortunately.
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You’re welcome.
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This is perfect for Sherry’s challenge, and lingers aloft and alive here. Such a gifted sense of forest plenty here, it augments so the grief, and ghost, and ferocity to change. Thanks – Brendan
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Thank you Brendan 😊
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