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Open Poetry #36
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Planting Trees For The Bicentennial, Spring 1975
| Open Poetry #36 |
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Planting Trees For The Bicentennial, Spring 1975 |
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ice Member Elite
since 2003-05-17
Posts 3404Pennsylvania |
A diamond disk makes butter of cement A tombs lid pried, lets light shine in- To space, dark, for years on end. -side street (Philadelphia) nothing green, But soon to be, reverdured by *Ailanthus- The truck is loaded with compound leaves Clinging to *trees of heaven. Digging through strata, three layers of pavement The first one is concrete, the second Asphlatic, The third Bituminous- past chunks of cobble (sailing ship ballast) and pieces of wooden pipe, Copper wired-top to bottom, shiny when you rub it; A silent voice rises, The ghost of Ben Franklin repeating To antique plumbers... "Tilt it men, Slope the ditch towards the river ". Shoveling out, soft coal-ashes And Iron-hard clinkers still laying In beds where they landed, dumped At the curb, each morning in winter; Deep smears that spread into the street, Remains, of burnt poison, bright still Pretty-orange, purple-dotted flakes In a slurry of undigested sulfur That when fired, clogged lungs And dirtied the cities buildings; Finally! Under the coffin-lid, two feet down in the dig; Murdered-native soil is exhumed, Its bones letting sighs of relief, now again The sun shines on the earths real crust, After years of dreadful thirst It once again can drink the rain Now it sends, old encouragements to roots "Come forth!, in jubilation, it exclaims, Explore the hidden paths that wait- Find course, beneath this cities hellish skin.... "Pedro", get the loader, bring a *tree of heaven." *Refers to Ailanthus altissima, "tree of heaven" Compound leaves, dioecious, tolerates air pollution, Will grow in any soil...a good city street tree. |
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| © Copyright 2005 ford hume - All Rights Reserved | |||
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Martie
Moderator
Member Empyrean
since 1999-09-21
Posts 28049California |
Ford Such an interesting poem! It's amazing what life a tree can give, to a street, a city, a home! You got me interested in the tree of heaven so I looked it up. "Tree-of-heaven was first introduced to America by a gardener in Philadelphia, PA, in 1784, and by 1840 was commonly available from nurseries. The species was also brought into California mainly by the Chinese who came to California during the goldrush in the mid-1800s. Today it is frequently found in abandoned mining sites there." Sorry about the essay I seem to have written, but I thought you'd want to know how much your poem interested me. Thanks!  |
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Sunshine
Administrator
Member Empyrean
since 1999-06-25
Posts 63354Listening to every heart |
A silent voice rises, The ghost of Ben Franklin repeating To antique plumbers... "Tilt it men, Slope the ditch towards the river ". Shoveling out, soft coal-ashes And Iron-hard clinkers still laying In beds where they landed, dumped At the curb, each morning in winter; Deep smears that spread into the street, Remains, of burnt poison, bright still Pretty-orange, purple-dotted flakes In a slurry of undigested sulfur That when fired, clogged lungs And dirtied the cities buildings; Finally! Under the coffin-lid, two feet down in the dig; Murdered-native soil is exhumed, Its bones letting sighs of relief, now again The sun shines on the earths real crust, After years of dreadful thirst It once again can drink the rain Now it sends, old encouragements to roots "Come forth!, in jubilation, it exclaims, Explore the hidden paths that wait- Find course, beneath this cities hellish skin.... ~*~ For all the ghosts raised in this poem, it shows real spirit! And as you grin, just know... it's a keeper! "There's a reason they call God The Creator - he sides with talent." Julia Cameron |
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LeeJ Member Patricius
since 2003-06-19
Posts 13296 |
This was so absorbing and close to home, which made it even more like a father figure with lots of bluster sprinkling not only thought, but speaks volumns about history and humanity...oh Ford, this was sound with arms.... thank you I forgot to add, if you get the chance on a visit to the city, City Tavern is a must, unless it's Africa Hot outside, as there is no air conditioning...but you have to go there and eat one meal...it is indeed traditional and fun...not to mention, very tasty! [This message has been edited by LeeJ (07-28-2005 09:55 AM).] |
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Seymour Tabin Member Empyrean
since 1999-07-07
Posts 31720Tamarac Fla |
ice All too true, your poem was a delight to read. |
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froggy Senior Member
since 2003-06-23
Posts 1893Michigan |
My Dear Friend, A beautiful read. The images I saw through your words was stunding. Enjoyed. :-) <^^> Today the pond....Tomorrow the world |
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Enchantress Member Empyrean
since 2001-08-14
Posts 35113Canada eh. |
Your talent shines in this piece Ford.. you have a very unique handle on vivid imagery. I so much enjoyed this one! And the history...well done! Hugs~Nancy Something tugs at me, I've no doubt of that. |
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Midnitesun
since 2001-05-18
Posts 28647Gaia |
and me? the most I ever did? was to double-dig through clay and old buried airplane parts in Alaska, in an attempt to plant something cruciferous (North Pole)  this was such an enjoyable read |
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