Kristien - pipTalk Forums

How to Join	Member's Area	Private Library	Search	Sanctuary		Login
Main Forums	Discussion	Tech Talk	Mature Content	Archives	A home without a wall, Our haven without ends, A circle we all call Our Family of Friends!

PoeticKnight
Senior Member

since 2000-01-20

Posts 1144
New Orleans, LA

0 posted 2000-03-03 10:52 AM

KRISTIEN (Apologies for length)
1/3/88

Ages past, before the coming of Man
There was peace throughout the land
The trees were alive, sweetly they talked
Under the infant sun and moon they walked
Pure was their civilization
One united nation
In the world time stood still
As the trees did God’s will
One friend to another
From one sister to a brother
They, guardians of the Earth
Knowing only joy and mirth
The bliss lasted nigh an age
‘ere the book turned a page
And like all animate creatures
With all the mortal features
Hate was a part of life
A double edged, cold steel knife
It began to break free
From under lock and key
In differences they were divided
Narrow minded prejudices guided
Slaves to the drive of obsession
In the grip of a nameless possession
Divisions were made thenceforth
To proceed apart henceforth
Among these, were the maples and the oaks
Once old friends, now little they spoke
Only to disengage from each other’s sight
Or, to stay the ground and fight
For the maples maintained certain rights
As the lofty oaks stole all their light
No one can live amongst their enemies
As proven by modern day countries
But, before Man, the maples were dying
Or running off to hide, crying
For the oaks were just too mighty
From massive roots to topmost leaf
In forest once called Kristien
To love thy neighbor was now a sin
And the maples were weak and oppressed
Giving up their pride for chance to rest
The dominance of the oaks lasted
‘til the dawn of Man had passed
And the trees beheld all that He did
From paradise to be divided
Too many princes and kings
Not enough of which to sing
The trees were greatly saddened
And hatred between them lessened
But the differences still remained
To the maples, it was still the same
For ancient pride resisted the urge
Of resentment to purge
It is said that their unnoticed tears
Created many rivers through the years
It was about this time
There came a young maple named Aerond
Barely a sapling he must have been
But with a heart bigger than any of the trees
In Kristien, he began to question
What was being done
Often wandering far and wide
Hoping from humans to hide
In this way at last he came
To the king of the oaks, Grugame
Seeking perhaps an audience with him
Under the tall oaks, light was dim
But Grugame shone with a light
Of ancient wisdom and far seeing sight
Bowing reverently before this oak so big
They laughed at him and called him ‘Twig’
Rising with dignity, and boughs to the sky
He solemnly asked one question…”Why?”
From the oaks came back scorn
“Leave our sight Twig. Be gone!”
With these words, Aerond fled
As mournful thoughts filled his head
He wandered up a nearby mountain
Wondering if there ever could be peace again
Lost in these reflections, he was amazed
To find upon a great, ageless boulder, runes engraved
In the common tongue of all trees
Archaic, yet plain enough for all to see
After reading, he began hurling stones
With all his slender might, down upon his home
In Kristien there was curiosity
As to what this might be
So, up the long slopes of the mountain
Came all, the spruce, the fir, and even the pine
All types of trees seemed to come
All parts of Kristien they came from
And when the oaks discerned Aerond
A brash young oak grabbed him from behind
Without thinking clearly at all,
He threw Aerond from the mountain’s wall
Then silence fell over the crowd
The impetuous oak not especially proud
When he followed their gaze to the boulder and its runes
Its message came to all so very soon
Carved into the living rock was inscribed:
‘Like Man we were born, like Man we live,
like Man we shall die.’

Denise

Moderator

Member Seraphic

since 1999-08-22

Posts 22648

1 posted 2000-03-03 12:43 PM

Excellent piece of writing, JML. Thanks for posting it!

Denise

Meadowmuse
Member Elite

since 1999-12-27

Posts 3263

2 posted 2000-03-03 10:02 PM

JML, this is wonderful...epic poetry with an important and insightful message. I really enjoyed it!

~ Claire

	⇧ top of page ⇧
All times are ET (US). All dates are in Year-Month-Day format.