.
A tree knows.
It knows the animal of time
that stretches up its trunk
wrinkling hours into bark.
A tree knows that rain
falls between suns
and that baby birds
fly their nests
and return full of eggs.
A tree knows
that endings
swallow their own tails
to become tight brown nuggets
falling in circles
flavoring earth with the future.
A tree knows.
And what it knows best
is to unfold.
.
(c) 2003, 2014 Betty Hayes Albright
.
Seasonings 
Sadly this made me think of the giant redwoods being abused for drug money…but a fine poem.
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Thanks, Charlie. I hadn’t heard the latest on the redwoods – abused for drug money? Makes me sad too….
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Oh this is great, Betty–I like all of it, but I’m especially fond of “wrinkling hours into bark”, and the 3 lines about baby birds. And the reminder about Now is always good–hard to stay focused on that sometimes.
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Thank you – glad you liked it! 🙂
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The circle of life, Betty. I love your word plays and imagery in this piece. And I whole-heartedly agree… the trees have a special place on our planet and what they know best: Now. Beautiful!
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Thanks very much, Angela! I’m always glad when someone “gets” a poem.
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I really love this one Betty, “now” has become very close to my heart and so have trees over the past three years in particular. Beautiful poem xx.
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Christine, I know what you mean about “now”. And of course trees. 🙂
I hope your garden is starting to bloom, now that spring has arrived!
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There are so many good things about this poem, Betty, that I think I shall try “now” for the moment and see what’s up with
the animal of time
that stretches up its trunk
wrinkling hours into bark,
turning our days green.
Of course
The tree knows
that endings
swallow their own tails
to become tight brown nuggets
falling in circles
flavoring earth with more trees.
You language becomes ideas that blend together into a unique ballet of words and ideas that simply stretches the mind into delight. Of course trees wrinkle hours into bark and endings swallow tails that end up being an earth flavored with more trees. Of course. Tom
This is gorgeous! Rich with images that make life worth living. Ethel. Thanks.
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