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Open Poetry #36
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My Indignenous Forest Garden
| Open Poetry #36 |
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My Indignenous Forest Garden |
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OwlSA Member Rara Avis
since 2005-11-07
Posts 9347Durban, South Africa 
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My Indigenous Forest Garden August 1998 You, my morning forest, my early morning forest, my dew-awakened, early morning forest; You with your dark shapes softening into gold; You, who seat your little daybreak choristers whose tiny lungs inflate with leaf-clean dawn and scent of wet-earth green, and explode into harmonising joy, to herald the unfurling day and greet those who will listen, and the sun; You with your pranks, A flutter of water on my head, No, not a bird, but had it been, who cares? Perhaps you know what shampoos and hairdryers do, and short hair dries so quickly too; You with your damp, soft-cushioned, morning carpet of mellowed leaves on forest grass, Shiver-cold under my naked feet, You, my early morning forest, are my tremulous inspiration. You, my day-time forest, With your honeyed acacia breath, You with your bustling avian Hillbrow whose verdant skyscrapers quiver with life… LBJ’s and flashes of colour dart from one inviting delicatessen to another with traffic sounds of chatter-chirrups and liquid arias; You with your surprises - The sometimes mid-morning picnics, especially when the pigeonwoods are fruiting, of a bounding troop of monkeys who find the time to play as well as feed; If I keep still, they regard me as one of them, deformed and stretched and strangely inept at movement and communication, but one of them, though, the alpha male watches me the way an alpha male will do when the smallest ones play Dare-To-Swing-Too-Close-To-This-Grandmother-Of-All-Monkeys, then leap back to their comfort zone and on to other games… then comes the silent signal, and, with a whoosh of flying goodbye branches, they all depart, thundering over the roof; You, my daytime forest with your carpet crisp, where hadedahs delve almost at my feet; Then, once a mongoose …..slender with black-tipped tail … I held my breath as this elegant creature of the night stood motionlessly watching me in dappled daylight without apparent fear. I held my breath and every muscle for one forever minute until his eye and he flowed back into the undergrowth… You with your sun-splashed butterflies who tease the fractious light and shadows that play games with your multitudinous nuances of green; You with your red and yellow blossoms into orange; You, my daytime forest, are my blazing optimism. But you, my night forest, You, with your ghostly, green-white-wooded fever trees, their graceful arms spread wide, lure me from your fringe into your dark-barked depths; You, with your white night blossoms’ sweet, sweet fragrance, You with your silent moments… and your tiny night sounds, You with your shelter from civilisation and your leaf-patterned moon, You are my DNA. - Owl |
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| © Copyright 2005 Diana van den Berg - All Rights Reserved | |||
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bgj Member
since 2005-11-09
Posts 128Ga. USA |
A very interesting poem. Enjoyed it. Lots of luck, bgj |
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Dark Stranger Member Patricius
since 2001-03-19
Posts 13631West Coast |
friendly owl...yep..makes me green with envy..my tattoos disappear when the shadows are that richly deep..enjoyed you here |
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Magnus
since 2001-10-10
Posts 14135South Carolina, USA |
Such a masterful painting of the different shades, times and folding/unfolding of such a majestic scene. Well done |
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OwlSA Member Rara Avis
since 2005-11-07
Posts 9347Durban, South Africa |
Thank you bgi, Dark Stranger and Magnus. Yes, I love and need my forest very much. Dark Stranger, I love your name for me. I have noticed you call me this elsewhere. I don't know what I have done to deserve it, but will simply enjoy it unquestioningly. - Owl |
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Bodger Senior Member
since 2005-06-12
Posts 1260Tolerance for a short time |
Like this because you get lost in it and realise you haven't really read it and the image remains that you did Dave |
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Martie
Moderator
Member Empyrean
since 1999-09-21
Posts 28049California |
Owl....I agree with Bodger....you painted it so beautifully....it is as if I was there....I'd love to see a photo, but don't really need one. |
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Enchantress Member Empyrean
since 2001-08-14
Posts 35113Canada eh. |
When all the superlatives have been used.. may I just say this is remarkable! Hugs~Nancy Now - while the leaves still dance on the wind |
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ice Member Elite
since 2003-05-17
Posts 3404Pennsylvania |
Diana-Owl You, my gentle poet, are amazing...I cannot explain how this made me feel as I read it, it is a feeling beyond words, the only one that comes to mine is "close' I stand in awe at your poem, as like I do in the night forest, when the world comes closer that any other part of the day, and I feel more tightly bound to the earth. Enjoyed, (not a strong enough word...but it is all I can come up with) ------------ice ><> |
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Ratleader
since 2003-01-23
Posts 7026Visiting Earth on a Guest Pass |
Life is so very, very big..... I don't know whether I'd love this forest on my own, but I have a feeling that you could teach almost anyone to love it. ~~(¸¸¸¸ºº> ~~(¸¸¸¸ºº> ~~(¸¸ ¸¸ºº> ~~~(¸¸ER¸¸ºº> |
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Honeybunch Member Rara Avis
since 2001-12-29
Posts 7115South Africa |
Welcome from one South African to another. It's good to have some "company" here. You paint an extremely vivid picture with your words. An excellent write! Thanks. Helen |
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OwlSA Member Rara Avis
since 2005-11-07
Posts 9347Durban, South Africa |
Thank you Bodger for getting lost in my forest and my poem. I was once lost in another forest and loved every second of it. Martie, thank you for enjoying my beloved forest. Enchantress, giggles, hugs back and thanks. ice, truly you have understood the essence of my forest. Ratleader, I am honoured and in awe at what you said. Honeybunch, what a pleasure to meet another South African. Whereabouts in South Africa are you, Helen? I live in Yellowwood Park in Durban. - Owl |
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