Tree of Life poetic form
The Poet of the Week for this week’s W3 Weekly Poetry Prompt is Elizabeth, Tea & Paper. Elizabeth presents a new (to me) poetry form called The Tree of Life. Her rules and guidelines are below.
TREE OF LIFE POETIC FORM An uplifting poem in 19 lines; Syllabic: 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13-4-4-4-4-4-4; Unrhymed; Alignment: Centred
The Tree of Life poetic form was created by author Christina R. Jussaume.
This is an interesting poetic form, in that the dictated syllabic line lengths shape the words into a tree outline (which looks a bit like a Christmas tree to me). I hope you enjoy my poem.
The Squirrel, the Jay, and the Magnificent Tree
The squirrel and jay, cache indehiscent nuts to store hidden deep in leaf mulch larders In the ground, to find again. Come winter’s rain, sleet, wind and snow, They search for their stash. Morsels to eat. Cannot find them all. Their food lays buried. Forgotten. Lone acorns in soft soil. Dormant. Waiting for the turn of the worm. The sun. The Spring. The chance to grow. To be the tree it is meant to be. From a small nut a mighty trunk can grow. Ergo, become the earth’s magnificent green canopy. Lesley Scoble, August 2023
A jay caches a nut in the grass
A squirrel knows he cached a nut somewhere here…
“From a small seed a mighty trunk may grow.”
Aeschylus
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My thanks to Elizabeth, Tea & Paper for introducing me to the TREE OF LIFE poetic form. Last but not least, I should like to thank David, The Skeptics Kaddish for hosting his inspiring W3 Weekly Poetry Prompt. IMAGES INDEX 1. Feature Photo: Tree, Ogden Waters, Yorkshire 2. Header photo: Judy Woods, Yorkshire 3. Oak tree, Oxwich, Wales 4. The Jay, Regent’s Park, London 5. The Squirrel, Barbican Wildlife Garden 6. Drawing: Ancient Oak, Bushey Park, Middlesex Art & Photography ©️Lesley Scoble
Lesley lives in the City of London Square Mile. An artist, actor and sculptor (her first ceramic sculpture won the V&A inspired by… Award). Scenic artist & book illustrator, playwright, (her musical play, Rapscallion performed in inner city schools and theatre school); TV dancer; Animator and illustrator for TV production. Set up Pinecone Studios Ltd and IIMSI Ltd drama and filmmaking workshops in London – producing award-winning films made by children.
LesleyScoble.com 
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