Tuesday, May 31, 2016

Susan Hawthorne #152 devining


behind the vines another world
a path through the rainforest
cutting the vine back with my hands
I look down on a forest of pandanus

the vine clings to me
I pull and cut and pull some more
some are as tough as old leather
other vines are thin as feathers

it's a hard slog sweat drips
down my chin my hands ache
but it's also satisfying to see
the light of the sea behind the trees


4 comments:

  1. What a great last line. I really enjoyed this poem.

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  2. I felt I was there with you – though, to be honest, I'm unlikely to engage in such hard slog myself. Yours was rewarding, and it's delightful to get a glimpse of that reward without the work. I like the rhyme pattern too.

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  3. wonderful poem; reminds me of those old Tarzan films, without the machetes and safari suits :)

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  4. Thanks for your responses. It's very satisfying to rescue trees from vines. What's hard to know is how to get the balance right between the gorgeous abundance of vines and the survival of trees. A long work in progress. It's what gardening and poetry share!

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