The First Tree.

[Peter Connelly]

The First Tree.

Dinanzi a me non fuor cose create
Se non etterne, ed io etterno duro.
Dante.


The tree at the beginning of time was neither a proud oak nor a kowtowing willow; it was a tree before names. The tree was seen by no-one, for it lived long before there were eyes to see.

Though it bent to the wind, it was not forced; for it knew neither wind nor force. Though its leaves were stripped by the flaying hail, in its solitariness it did not judge, for judgement is for the forest.

Still it stands, aeons ago. Our existence does not matter to it. It simply is and will be, long after our great named trees are gone.

But you can dream of the tree at the beginning of time, dream that its stormlit silhouette strikes an unwilled image starker than politics or prejudice, hatred nor somnambulant dreamers can dim, for that tree is the sum of itself.

The tree at the beginning of time was neither a proud oak nor a kowtowing willow. It was freedom, and its fruit is sweeter than we have yet learned to taste.

[shygirl78]

Was pleased when I saw this Peter, remembered saying to you a while back I wanted to see it

And, again, just brilliant.

Love the inclusion of the Dante Alighieri quote at the beginning in the old Italian

At first, I was going to ask if it was the tree from the garden of Eden, then quickly realised I was being a blether!

I can see a meaning there, that seems to me, in a way similar, to the last piece you submitted... that's just what I see though... I'll probably see something else next time I look.

Anyway, thanks for that!

[khartoumteddy]

Where long ago the first tree had stood
In times when air was clean and good
The last tree now had tenuous hold
On an island small and was growing old

On this island twenty men
had coveted our tree and then
The tree that had made both fruit and shade
by a forest razor was cruelly laid
The Cheif had died and he alone could see
The value of the last good tree

The treenow gone the tribe they came to see
the value of our former friend the tree
No more was freely given Shelter from the stifling sun
And no more could fruit be found
as now the tree was cut to ground

The tribe then fought each with the other
Friend on friend and man on brother
Starving now ; too blind to see
How each owed so mutch to the tree

The last man died and as his bones did bleach
The new rain fell upon the barren beach
Discarded pips to life with gusto sprang
New life no interference then from man
Grew to what new visitors would see
Was now the first tree
Would that we learned the first time around
The values in nature so clearly to be found
Teddy

[Peter Connelly]

Grand stuff. Another thought-provoking piece. Cheers again, Teddy.

[shygirl78]

Hiya Teddy

I think your new poems great, and love the way it's worded, not to mention the meaning cleverly put in there. Are we going to see some more?