Hush
the swish in your leaves
Tender
twig, halt your play
Young
trees, slow your sway
Listen
to us old wood!
"it
wasn't always this cool,
The
sun didn't always just shine-
It
burned oh! It scorched so!
We
withered and wilted and shriveled:
Great
Oak and his family cracked
Cedar-
all tall and hard-barked,
Bristlecone
pine and any other pine
All
browned away and dried;
We
knelt, lowered our sapped branches
Stretched
our weary stalks and just about died.
It
was a sad time such-
Cut
up and shipped away,
The
best of us-
Demeaned
and baked into charcoal,
Or
lumbered into timber- that vast tomb...
Oh,
and cousin Sandal Wood, butchered for perfume!
We
lost our graceful poise.
The
rains ceased, rivers shrunk
What
a season!
Then
came along a girl, she of the green heart-
Born
of the enemy but turned friend indeed!
Her
love green as sap, Her word was her deed.
For
every broken twig, she dropped her head
If
a tree fell in Karura, she shed
Tears
and cried, 'No!
Desecrate no more!
Our
heritage: green beauty of earth!'
The
rest is history:
-the
rise of the trees, the era of green
Which
you, young tree now see-
Bountiful
leaves on beautiful boughs,
The
earth's safe again,
The
state of our nation strong!
This
legacy we remember her by
-Wangari
wa Maathai-
A
girl born of flesh but sprouted green-
Mother
of trees!
Forest
queen!
Diva
in green!
Forever!"
(As
told by a 100 year old Cedar tree in 2092)
Nice poem there! However, where you used cider( An alcoholic drink) I believe it should be cedar (a coniferous tree)
ReplyDeleteThanks Samba... Most grateful
DeleteYou should share this at https://www.facebook.com/groups/poetrykenya/.
ReplyDeleteThanks too Zachary. Let me see.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeletePoetry brings about the beauty of words used constructively....love your poem sir
ReplyDelete