Boy trails old man
along stream bed
cuts into damp soil
slips sapling into crevice
weighs heel to seal the earth
trails further
pausing when old man pauses
cutting when old man cuts
slipping when old man slips
heeling when old man heels
And so it goes
all afternoon
and into night
how trees grow
how earth holds
pieces of the wild
lays down one path
and then another on top
empty space into boy
boy into man
man into old man
old man into empty space
empty space into prairie
prairie into farm
farm into town
town into empty space
layer upon layer
stored in heart and mind
between one eternity
and another
how trees grow
into night
across afternoon
spiraling easy
through time
Fathers Day, 2015
Poems from in between 
41 responses to “How trees grow”
Omigod! EXQUISITE!
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That is so nice of you to say. I really appreciate it! It came to me after a long drive in the country with my dad, listening to his stories about his father and grandfather.
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layer upon layer
stored in heart and mind
between one eternity
and another
Exquisite lines! A truly beautiful poem 🙂
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Thank you so much for these kind words. You are very generous.
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Nice. Our pieces mirror each other a bit. I wish all boys had men that would invest in them and they could grow along with. Layer upon layer we add to each other. Nice piece. I like how you expand it beyond them on how towns and cities are built as well. It opens it up.
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So glad you enjoyed it. Yes, I see your point about the similarities here. Thanks for your kind words!
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Connections of love growing generation to generation of eyes
that mirror us.. oh love.. oh time.. oh past.. ah.. present
now.. wHere love finds time always now
to live
with
us..:)
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Beautiful! Can I frame that? Thanks so much for putting a smile on my face.
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Smiles.. I don’t own words.. When I share them I give them.. So frame away.. Haha..:)
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Old man was once young man was once boy. All interconnected, layer upon layer. Life seems to spiral so easily through time. Nice flow to your poem!
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Thank you. Glad you liked it!
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I like the way you link one generation to the next in what feels like a never ending cycle.
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Thank you!
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You wove this heirloom expertly!
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What a nice complement! Thank you.
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it is cool when kids can learn from the adults and grow into adults themselves that have to give something to the new generation – a beautiful circle of life
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Thank you. So glad you liked it.
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What a great way to weave it all in layers and connecting it to the trees. I think the forest would be a great keeper of memories.. 😉
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Oh, for sure!! Forests are always full of secrets, both mystical and frightening to me.
Thanks for your kind words.
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This all connects like the rings on a tree. Well done.
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Thank you. Great connection to tree rings.
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I love how empty space is gradually being filled up and on the move forever and its connections to trees….a lovely piece..
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I am so glad you got that sense of movement! It is so hard to put into works.
Thanks for your feedback!
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Well worded.
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Thanks! What a nice thing to say.
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Very well done…I at first thought it was a boy or man and his dog, but you took it to the max, spanning a lifetime with rich yet simple form the theme of growth, aging and flashbacks that cover a lot of territory.
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Thank you so much. I am glad you liked it.
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There is such a calm and appreciative acceptance of life’s cycles here. My favorite stanzas are the two beginning with “empty space”–they tell the story that is so much bigger than any one or two of us.
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Thanks. I really appreciate that. It is really the culmination of so many memories and stories, which you get so well.
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I specially admire this part:
how earth holds
pieces of the wild
lays down one path
and then another on top
And so it goes on, our connections from boy to man to earth ~
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Thank you! I like that part, too. I wondered if it was maybe too far from the rest. So thanks for this feedback!
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What an exquisite weaving of old man, man, boy….indeed, how trees grow. Beautiful title for this.
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Thank you!
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This is so beautifully fluid–very lovely.
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Such encouraging words. Thank you!
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Most welcome.
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I love the interconnectedness of this!
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Glad you liked that. Thanks.
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Thank you for this.
Before he had to retire at an early age, due to a work disability, I worked beside my father for a couple of years. He gave me an appreciation for a true work ethic, one which has stayed with me long past my own retirement.
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Thank you. Your words make writing this poem completely worthwhile. The opening story is one my dad told, about a day in his childhood planting trees with his grandfather along the creek on his farm. My dad is now in his 80s and he had a job everyday of his life from the age of 8 until he retired around 70. Such a rich and wonderful life. Thanks for sharing your memories.
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