All That Time
I saw two trees embracing.
One leaned on the other
as if to throw her down.
But she was the upright one.
Since their twin youth, maybe she
had been pulling him toward her
all that time,
and finally almost uprooted him.
He was the thin, dry, insecure one,
the most wind-warped, you could see.
And where their tops tangled
it looked like he was crying
on her shoulder.
On the other hand, maybe he
had been trying to weaken her,
break her, or at least
make her bend
over backwards for him
just a little bit.
And all that time
she was standing up to him
the best she could.
She was the most stubborn,
the straightest one, that’s a fact.
But he had been willing
to change himself–
even if it was for the worse–
all that time.
At the top they looked like one
tree, where they were embracing.
It was plain they’d be
always together.
Too late now to part.
When the wind blew, you could hear
them rubbing on each other.
May Swenson
3 comments
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July 27, 2008 at 8:47 am
?Writer?Reading?
First of all, you are the best blogger at introducing me to poems I want to go out and buy, so if you also have a favorite book of a poet you mention, post that too. Secondly, this is fascinating in the light of recent research that certain plants will in fact grown in the direction of others of their species. It was demonstrated with high-speed film, the plants seeking each other out. If it weren’t in such slow plant-time, we’d see it happening all the time. They KNOW when another of their species is nearby!
July 27, 2008 at 9:31 am
Deborah Barlow
G, I read an article about that in the Times and have wanted to excerpt it here. Thanks for reminding me–it was so fascinating.
And thank you for the poetry high five–that made my day.
June 5, 2009 at 4:31 pm
sweety
i like it so much , but there are few things i could not understand .
would you plz give me a general explaination about it.
thanx (;