"Life is the dancer and you are the dance."
Eckhart Tolle

Thursday, October 21, 2010

"a tree grows around the sadness" poets united thursday think tank #20 the ugly that is beautiful

“A tree grows in Brooklyn”
(a novel by Betty Smith)

It breaks through the asphalt,
looking for the sunshine
Watching sadness and despair,
of people wandering the streets

The homeless and nameless,
seeking a place to sleep
And the branches reach up,
to protect the roots firmly fastened

Leaves capture the rain,
released from the clouds
While the wetness soaks the pavement,
glistening in the streetlights

In the Brownstone
A husband and wife are arguing over,
whiskey drinking and absences
Sad children hiding behind bedroom doors

All the while the tree survives …

9 comments:

  1. This is wonderful. I so loved A Tree Grows in Brooklyn when I was a girl. Love the contrast between the fleeting lives being lived under the tree's branches,the sad children in the house, the tree enduring. Wonderfully full of images and so well written.

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  2. I really like this - so much is considered ugly in our world without the second look, which, if given, surely would show at least some form of beauty behind the perceived ugliness...

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  3. Pamela,
    I love your poem. I too have recently written a poem about the tree in my front garden.
    My own poem for the prompt, includes the homeless theme.
    I like the idea of your tree, 'bearing witness' to the events of the day.
    Best Regards,
    Eileen

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  4. The tree survives, the tree sees and knows. The tree is silent.

    Nicely written poem!

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  5. nice contrast between the world we create and the beauty that awaits our awakening...blessings...bkm

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  6. I love trees and I love this poem~ I tend to notice things, others done~ This was lovely!

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  7. Thanks to all for the nice comments. I have been busy with friends for the past couple of days.
    Pamela

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