Wound silky thread, row upon row,
maker’s bark woven // yet fatefully scuffed;
existential shorthand all understand.
There remain no untroubled bits.
If perchance you see none,
know the pulp beneath.
Mycellic intraveni creep up
from roots; we’re nourished
as we return to dust.
Yesterday, older son and I took another walk out along The Highlands, the once nature, then golf course, now returning to nature. The top image is a close-up of the bark of this magnificent birch tree. The second image is of the tree with my son — who is 6’+ tall — standing near it so you can see the scale.
Lillian is today’s host for dVerse’ Quadrille Monday. Lillian says:
So wondering what the required word for today’s Quadrille is? It’s WOUND.
How did you just pronounce the word in your head when you read it?
It can be pronounced in two different ways, each with its own meaning – thus it is indeed a homograph!
Want to make the prompt a bit tougher today? Within your 44 words, instead of just using one pronunciation/meaning of WOUND as one of the 44 words, include the word WOUND twice – as two of the 44 words – using both of the meanings/pronunciations and thus including the homographic pair.
Tao Talk 
Nature’s course — so much lies unseen, just below the surface,
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I read both versions of ‘wound’ in your opening lines Lisa: both nature’s thread and the scars borne by the tree. Sensitively done!
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Ingrid thank you. I appreciate you can see the word both ways.
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It’s always good to see things both ways!
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I love the strength of nature… birches can truly be magnificent, but they are also quite fast growers and don’t need to be as old as they look.
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I love the strength of nature also. Birch grow fast but usually have short lives. This one is older than any I’ve seen in a long time around here. Look at this one on Beaver Island, MI, that they are saying may be the biggest birch tree in the state:
http://upnorthmichigan.com/Wonders/GiantBirch.aspx
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I also read the poem twice….once with each meaning. Either way, beautifully done. The photos are wonderful. I’ve always loved birch trees and their unique bark. When we were engaged (over 50 years ago!), my husband, on a geology field trip, took some bark off a birch tree, wrote a message on one side to me, and on the other side, addressed it like a post card, put a stamp on it and mailed it to me. I actually received it! And I still have it in a scrapbook!
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Thanks for your comments, Lillian. How very special the memory is for you and your husband of the birch letter!
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I love the sensitivity with which you have paired both the meaning of wound here, Lisa especially; “There remain no untroubled bits. If perchance you see none, know the pulp beneath.”💝
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Sanaa many thanks to you and appreciate your comment.
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Such a beautiful tree! I can also see “wound” being used both ways.
We also have a nearby golf course that is now being returned to nature with walking trails.
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I love the idea of places being returned to nature. Thank you for reading and your lovely comment.
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You’re very welcome, Lisa. 😀
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The words
make my head explode.
❤
David
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haha! that sounds painful. Thanks for reading, David.
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Very nicely done. Love the big birch! Wounds are found all around in nature, so it only makes sense that we would have them as well.
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Dwight, exactly! Life has to be tough to survive but we have a will to live which helps. Thank you for your wise comment.
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You are welcome Lisa!
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I did pick up the circular shape in your poem. Nice one
Happy Monday
Much💚love
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Gillena thank you for noticing. Happy Monday!
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The birch image is stunning and I love the scale of tree / son!
Oh yes, the poem is breathtaking …………..
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Helen, thank you very much, so glad you enjoyed the pictures and the poem 🙂
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So appreciative of nature’s cycle, including healing and nurturing from nothingness and “wounds”. Love the birch tree and the photo.
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Thank you very much for reading and your thoughtful comment, Grace.
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Wow! A magnificent tree. Great poem Li
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Thank you, Sadje, yes it is!!!! I feel like I’ve made a new friend in this tree.
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You’re welcome! 😍
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Thanks for sharing the wisdom bound in trees…cool photo too, Lisa!
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Lynn, so glad you like the photo of the trees. They can teach us so much.
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the ebb and flow of nature.
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There is no getting away from it….
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Indeed. In fact, I don’t think I want to. I’m partial to water, oxygen, and gravity … 😉
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🙂 ❤
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🙂
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It is indeed a magnificent birch tree! Your words are beautiful and sensitive paying homage to this wonder of nature Lisa ☺️
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I’m so happy it’s in a protected place where I can visit whenever I want to 🙂 Thank you, Christine.
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That’s quite an amazing tree!
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Yes it is! Such an inspiration.
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We have a silver birch similar to the one in your photograph, Lisa, only twice the size! I don’t know how long it’s been here, but it’s the one I like to hug. I love the phrase ‘maker’s bark woven // yet fatefully scuffed’, and the thought of ‘existential shorthand’.
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Kim, that is truly amazing. Your climate must suit it. I love the smoothness of the bark and can see why you would choose it to hug. Thank you for the wonderful feedback.
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Looking at that magnificent birch I think of your words and how its boughs may be bruised and bent, yet t also think as Maya Angelo would say “And still I rise”
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❤ What a wonderful comment, Raivenne.
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Wonderful poem – the way you portray that wounds can lie beneath the surface – ‘if perchance you see none, know the pulp underneath’.
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Thank you very much.
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“existential shorthand” is what poetry is. Lovely work, one of those that needs to be read several times through, and then aloud. (The “mouth feel” on it is extraordinary. Something about all those multi-syllabic words, I think. They sit around in your mouth awhile so you can taste them.)
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Alexandra, I appreciate your feedback ❤ Happy you enjoyed the poem.
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Powerful lines, Extremely evocative – there’s a simple style here, clean yet thorough in your delivery that reminds me of a crisp breeze whistling through those same birch trees I grew up around.
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Masa, thank you I appreciate your feedback and so happy it brings memories of birch trees you knew.
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Bark is so beautiful. (K)
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It is! This tree’s bark feels somewhere between cool and warm and like silk.
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I always want to draw it. But it never looks as good as the real thing.
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Very nice
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Thank you.
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