Two Sonnets on Friends and Faith
When friends fall from faith - and a word of hope that some don't and won't.
The following two poems are inspired by my experience with trees growing up in Indiana, and then experiencing them in a new way when I moved here to Georgia, where I have been living for the past 11 years. Ultimately, to me, these poems are about friendships in faith in Christ. These poems come after the recent hurricane caused so much damage, including knocking down many trees. This is nothing new during the time I’ve lived here, but it was just time to put this experience and observation into words, which, as always around here with me, turned out to be more meaningful than just what is on the surface.
Divine Nature – Sonnet 2.XIII – The Trees of Her Life
When trees were young and sparse, they served as friends – as base in tag, as hiding place, as shade for a hammock that swayed gentle in wind as she napped and read, sipped cups of Kool-Ade. But, when trees are aged and many, they fade, wither, and now she’s forced to pray for peace during every storm because she’s afraid that fierce wind will cause friends to crash through eaves. She’s sad that she has come to see that trees could become a source of fear and trauma. But, she’s not naïve. No place on Earth’s free, exempt, from natural disaster drama. That’s why she clings to Tree of Life who stands eternal, who gives her strength in wastelands.
Divine Nature – Sonnet 2.XIV – Trees that Stand
The trees I met in childhood seemed sure. I never feared they’d break, fall to the ground. It wasn’t ‘til I grew up I endured trees’ weakness, their rotting and crumbling down. And so now, I have fear when storms abound, as I have seen tree-friends topple and crush. It’s their age, I think. But, then you confound me with a thought that seems extraneous: What about trees whose ages are robust, like this two-hundred-fifty-year old pine? This doesn’t ease my trauma, but, at least it gives hope that even though most don’t stand, some - who have been planted in good soil, who reach for light – in my time, won’t be foiled.
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I, too, love trees--and used to write sonnets quite regularly. I'm inspired to maybe play with that form again! Thanks for sharing these.
We had to cut down a beautiful old tree from in front of our house--which, while not the house of my childhood, WAS my parents' house from my late teens, before we bought it a few years ago. The tree had been entirely eaten out by ants in the middle and would in fact have done great damage to our house, had it not been felled. But it was sad, and I immediately thought of it when I read your second sonnet, especially.
So very good! I love these!