(all pics enlarge if you click on 'em...)
Spring is here, along with its wacky weather patterns...and while walking Mercy late yesterday morning, I toted my little Canon S2 and decided to shoot plinks of youthful leaves. There is something metaphorical about looking at the young growth, ravenously soaking up what sun it can and quickly spreading its wings to spur on the new year's production of sugar molecules through photosynthesis...
And in this age of internet this and that, I thought it would be interesting to find quotes applicable to trees coming to life to go along with the pictures...and as expected I was NOT disappointed...
"Life without love is like a tree
without blossom and fruit."
Khalil Gibran
(neat wallpaper background shot - right click)
"Remember that the greatest of oak trees began as a nut."
Anonymous
I have to admit that in my schooling days I was never high on poetry...admittedly, a lot of it even today I just don't "get". And yet....and yet I'm drawn to look for poems that are classic monuments by monolithic authors, and find myself willing to indulge to attempt to see the inner beauty and mastery of their literary craft...
And what more appropriate poem is there for trees than Joyce Kilmer's well-known poem:
"Trees"
A poem lovely as a tree.
Against the sweet earth's flowing breast;
A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A nest of robins in her hair;
Who intimately lives with rain.
But only God can make a tree."
Joyce Kilmer (1886-1918)
I chose a tulip poplar leaf above for a reason; in western NC near Lake Santeetlah and Robbinsville is the Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest...a virgin poplar cove that is well worth the visit and hike...therein you will find gigantic trees untouched by human saws...
...and as a cute follow-up, I found this Ogden Nash poem...
"I think that I shall never see
A billboard lovely as a tree;
Perhaps, unless the billboards fall,
I'll never see a tree at all."
Ogden Open Road
"Keep a green tree in your heart
and perhaps a singing bird will come."
Chinese proverb
"Character is like a tree and
reputation like a shadow.
The shadow is what we think of it;
the tree is the real thing."
Abraham Lincoln
"The wonder is that we can see these trees and not wonder more."
Ralph Waldo Emerson
"For in the true nature of things, if we rightly consider,
every green tree is far more glorious
than if it were made of gold and silver."
Martin Luther
"I am the Lorax, I speak for the trees, for the trees have no tongues."
Dr. Suess
"Suburbia is where the developer
bulldozes out the trees,
then names the streets after them."
Bill Vaughan
"Do not be afraid to go out on a limb...
That's where the fruit is."
Anonymous
Spring is here, along with its wacky weather patterns...and while walking Mercy late yesterday morning, I toted my little Canon S2 and decided to shoot plinks of youthful leaves. There is something metaphorical about looking at the young growth, ravenously soaking up what sun it can and quickly spreading its wings to spur on the new year's production of sugar molecules through photosynthesis...
And in this age of internet this and that, I thought it would be interesting to find quotes applicable to trees coming to life to go along with the pictures...and as expected I was NOT disappointed...
"Life without love is like a tree
without blossom and fruit."
Khalil Gibran
(neat wallpaper background shot - right click)"Remember that the greatest of oak trees began as a nut."
Anonymous
I have to admit that in my schooling days I was never high on poetry...admittedly, a lot of it even today I just don't "get". And yet....and yet I'm drawn to look for poems that are classic monuments by monolithic authors, and find myself willing to indulge to attempt to see the inner beauty and mastery of their literary craft...And what more appropriate poem is there for trees than Joyce Kilmer's well-known poem:
"Trees"
A poem lovely as a tree.
Against the sweet earth's flowing breast;
A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A nest of robins in her hair;
Who intimately lives with rain.
But only God can make a tree."
Joyce Kilmer (1886-1918)
I chose a tulip poplar leaf above for a reason; in western NC near Lake Santeetlah and Robbinsville is the Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest...a virgin poplar cove that is well worth the visit and hike...therein you will find gigantic trees untouched by human saws...
"I think that I shall never see
A billboard lovely as a tree;
Perhaps, unless the billboards fall,
I'll never see a tree at all."
"Keep a green tree in your heartand perhaps a singing bird will come."
Chinese proverb
"Character is like a tree andreputation like a shadow.
The shadow is what we think of it;
the tree is the real thing."
Abraham Lincoln
"The wonder is that we can see these trees and not wonder more."Ralph Waldo Emerson
"For in the true nature of things, if we rightly consider,every green tree is far more glorious
than if it were made of gold and silver."
Martin Luther
"I am the Lorax, I speak for the trees, for the trees have no tongues."Dr. Suess
"Suburbia is where the developerbulldozes out the trees,
then names the streets after them."
Bill Vaughan
"Do not be afraid to go out on a limb... That's where the fruit is."
Anonymous
2 comments:
Ah yes, each tree is INDEED a magical, living, breathing entity (much like the wind, much like the rivers and seas) ..... and each tree has something to say IF we take time to see its soul with our heart, and hear its voice with our own soul!
Ironically, at daybreak this morning, I gazed out into the backyard from one of my kitchen windows, and smiled to myself ..... Immediately, I could hear the WISDOM of a venerable 80-foot poplar tree I know, telling me that it has a much-misunderstood story to share ..... a story that gently provides a teaching-moment and life lesson to children, and an endearing reminder to the parents and grown-ups who will read it to them!
As I looked at it standing there in the early morning daylight, I could see that this poplar tree was just SO HAPPY ..... happy because it simply IS ..... happy because it certainly knew (and continues to know) “a little bit more” about the natural world and its OWN circumstances than it’s human (me) does! ..... and happy because I LISTENED to it, and I “got it”.
I smiled again to myself and thought, “Yes this, THIS is why ..... !” And immediately, a frustrating circumstance (regarding the tree) disappeared, contention became non-existent, and my recent anger over the whole thing simply melted on the spot!
This poplar’s story MUST be told and shared --- and told from ITS perspective, because IT did indeed tell me! I want to quite literally hug my old tree! ..... and I can’t wait to start writing ..... !!
Suzy :)
Neat inspirational story! When I first began to make flutes and work with wood, I immediately understood what other flutemakers have always said: the wood talks to you if you are open to that 'voice'. Living trees, animals, rocks, all have a 'voice' that we would all do well to hear. Thanks for sharing!
bob
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