The Old Walnut Tree Poem by John Allen Richter
The Old Walnut Tree
The blackened burl of charred remains -
stands the gnarl of great walnut tree.
Stretching his arms into the blue -
as though his very life to plead.
Covered with scars his shadow falls
upon the body of me.
Here I lay with broken dolls
and all our childhood dreams.
And so I thought a lifetime ago,
whispering, whittling, wond'ring why…
Should a tree of such earthen beauty
Ever reach the sky?
Tis not mine, Dear Walnut,
not mine to see.
But only to share my time
with thee..
So I have weathered this storm
to touch your olden scars,
To feel initials so weatherly worn,
before I chase the stars.
For once a boy envisioned thee,
taking refuge in your leaves.
Carving names of lovers seen
I thoroughly believe -
That soon my legs and arms will climb
upon your mountainous breadth
and we will remember all the times
o'er the years you and I have wept.
Lovely lines that are loaded with love for nature!
Lovely poem, John, finding a faithful friend in nature!
we will remember all the times o'er the years you and I have wept. I can identify an inalienable bond between you and the walnut tree! Both have scars! Both have weathered storms! You as a boy wanted to take refuge among its leaves and longed to carve the symbol of love on its bark! Great write!
Wonderful poem, John. However, in line seven you should use LIE instead of LAY. Lay is a transitive verb (needs a direct object) . The hen lays an egg. The book lies on the table. Sorry. I can't help it. I used to be an English teacher. By the way, I just read your biography and it is very well written. I think I will expand mine one of these days. I'm a lot like you as far as poetry goes. For a while I write nothing and then suddenly, there's a poem inside me that needs to come out!
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
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4/30/2024 12:19:20 PM # 1.0.0.1119
Very well written John - enjoyed reading.