He who plants a tree
Plants a hope.
Rootlets up through fibres blindly grope;
Leaves unfold into horizons free.
So man’s life must climb
From the clods of time
Unto heavens sublime.
Canst thou prophesy, thou little tree,
What the glory of thy boughs shall be?
The poet goes on to say that you also plant joy, peace, youth, and love when you plant a tree. You can read the entire poem by clicking on the title above. Those seem like five good reasons to plant a tree on this Arbor Day. Unfortunately, my yard is full of trees, mostly pine trees, and I don’t think I have a place to plant a tree. Maybe I’ll plant a flower or two instead.
Arbor Day is celebrated in most states the first Friday in April.
I just found you recently thru Wittingshire. It’s nice to find another poetry freak… I will keep coming back for more.
I read this thought on poetry in “Bound to Please” by Michael Dirda and immediately thought of your blog. “Poets keep their language charged, they make severe demands on our attention, they cut us no slack. While most prose works the room like a smiling politician at a fund-raiser, poetry stands quietly in the dusty street, as cool and self-contained as a lone gunfighter with his serape flapping in the wind. It’s not glad-handing anybody.”
Until I found your site, I had forgotten how much I enjoyed poetry when I was in high school and college. Thanks for re-introducing us! I’m happy to say my kids will be getting a steady stream of poetry when we start our new year of homeschooing in August!