the death of a silvery blue spruce

01 Dec 2015

the death of a silvery blue spruce

they rolled into the cul-de-sac
on a cold and lifeless monday morning
equipped with trucks and chains
saws and chippers and ropes
called upon to put to an end
what seemed to be an eternal bond

in her glory days she stood
taller than a timeless story
beckoning christmastime carolers
on the longest of nights
lifting the spirits of the dead
lighting the neighborhood in primary colors
bursting from within teardrop shaped bulbs

I loved her now like I loved her then
her indiscriminate arms
folding and weeping
forever welcoming weary souls
needing a winter place to call home

Note: this poem prompted by Poetics: Secrets of the Universe via dVerse Pub

december two thousand fifteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Nature, Poetry and tagged blue spruce, nature, poem, poetry

21 thoughts on “the death of a silvery blue spruce”

Grace on December 1, 2015 at 9:09 pm said:

I feel sad when I see those trees marked X and then chopped down ~ The personification of the tree is full of warmth, like a loving parent ~ The ending verses is very moving for me ~

Thanks for joining in and wishing you happy week ~

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- j matthew waters on December 1, 2015 at 9:22 pm said:
  
  Thank you for your comments and offering such a worthwhile prompt. I particularly enjoyed rereading David McFadden’s ‘Judges’ Citation’ – such an excellent poem.
  
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thotpurge on December 1, 2015 at 9:55 pm said:

her indiscriminate arms
folding and weeping
– love that line…nicely done!

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- j matthew waters on December 2, 2015 at 5:56 am said:
  
  thank you very much
  
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kanzensakura on December 1, 2015 at 10:09 pm said:

Oh how sad this made me, being such a lover of trees and so appreciative of their presence and all they give. There is a stand of cedars on our property that have at times sheltered me as it has the small seeking creatures who come to them. Lovely poem and thought.

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- j matthew waters on December 2, 2015 at 5:57 am said:
  
  Now that is a lovely image indeed – thank you for commenting on this piece.
  
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Bodhirose on December 1, 2015 at 10:14 pm said:

I’m always saddened when a tree has to be cut down. I love your poem and how the tree took on the characteristics of a mother gathering her children in her arms.
Gayle ~

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- j matthew waters on December 2, 2015 at 5:58 am said:
  
  Thank you for sharing your thoughts, Gayle.
  
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Björn Rudberg (brudberg) on December 1, 2015 at 11:28 pm said:

I really liked this one… A tree like that is a part of family, cutting down is like carving out a piece of yourself.. In your last stanza it’s like being at the wake…

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- j matthew waters on December 2, 2015 at 5:59 am said:
  
  All that is left is a memory – thank-you for inviting me to participate in this prompt.
  
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  - Björn Rudberg (brudberg) on December 2, 2015 at 6:03 am said:
    
    The prompts are always open Tuesday and Thursday’s 😉
Sanaa Rizvi (@rizvi_sanaa) on December 2, 2015 at 5:35 am said:

Beautiful…… especially adore the closing lines 🙂

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- j matthew waters on December 2, 2015 at 6:00 am said:
  
  Thank-you so much.
  
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georgeplace2013 on December 2, 2015 at 10:27 am said:

This is beautiful and sad. That last stanza is wonderful.

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- j matthew waters on December 2, 2015 at 12:02 pm said:
  
  Thank you so much for your thoughtful comments.
  
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Victoria C. Slotto on December 2, 2015 at 5:04 pm said:

this hurts me- we lost an old maple tree in our front yard this year, have planted desertscape because of the drought we have had. You create a lot of atmosphere in this poem.

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- j matthew waters on December 2, 2015 at 5:10 pm said:
  
  Thank you for sharing your thoughts here, Victoria.
  
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Suzy Hazelwood on December 3, 2015 at 2:13 pm said:

This is beautiful John, and sad! Strangely, I just saw a couple of trees cut down opposite where I live too. They were inappropriately planted about six feet from the windows of some flats, fine when they were young, but had grown out of proportion. Inevitable I guess for them to be cut down one day. Kind of gave me a uneasy feeling watching it though. 😐

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- j matthew waters on December 3, 2015 at 5:23 pm said:
  
  Hello Suzy and thanks so much for visiting again and sharing your thoughts. Always a pleasure knowing you have been here.
  
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Wordifull Melanie on December 19, 2015 at 3:49 am said:

So sorrowful, yet lovely. I mourn the loss with you.

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