yellow golden fire red
towered beech casts its light
illuminating autumn
tree
my knowledge of your love
my knowledge of your love for me
is the shade of a full-leaved tree across my heart;
it brings calm
and the possibility of sleep
wind-twisted trees
wind-twisted trees
cliff-edge sea sentinels
holding back the fear
no clouds
no clouds disturbing
tigered light through trees
green autumn unity
The trees pump
All summer the trees pump the rust-red up through roots, trunks, branches. Now, as it reaches their leaves, they heavily, heavenly, fall.
The tree
The tree stood in an old flowerpot wrapped in red tissue. Tina sprayed it with bleach against allergens then with hairspray to stop needledrop. She wrapped it with tinsel and wove lights around the branches. Finally the crowning glory: the fairy from the shoebox was placed ceremoniously on top. A minute later she sneezed, opened her eyes, shook her head and flew out of the window. Tina stared, open-mouthed. In the kitchen Rocky was barking.
First published on http://www.paragraphplanet.com 22 December 2015
Stano’s garden
Stano’s garden had fed his family all his life. Now the walnut tree he sat below would give its first fruit. He closed his eyes.
Tree fallen
Hey, where’s the axe?
[Branches shiver]
I’ll take the axe if you want the chain saw.
[Twigs flex and curl]
[Steel slips]
[Blood and sap slide]
Night storm. Tree falls.
Night storm. Tree falls. In the morning swingball stands disdainful, tosses its haughty mane. Of a single dog-chewed tennis ball on a frayed fluorescent nylon string. Tree stays down. Lies with lime-green plastic bats on the grass-green grass. Vanquished. Drums its twigs on the neighbour’s fence. Fence tilts but doesn’t fall. Tree sighs and settles. Waits.
Based on original observation by @johnhiggs
