Susurrus
Susurrus
by Laura Summerville Reed
Her sweeping branches spread out,
Down, and back again like the arms of a goddess matriarch
The live oak, Majesty of the South
She doesn’t drop her leaves to the autumnal chill
She doesn’t cease her thirst for drink
Unlike her sisters, red oak, white and pin
Who shut down; giving way to grays and drear
She keeps and keeps and keeps
There is no waste in her
Not until she feels the velvet ache
The tender newness beneath her hide
Like a thousand teething infants
(and she, the mother of every one)
Then she’ll unclasp each tiny petiole
And let the mantle fall about the ground
The trappings she wears are a deep golden green
She basks in warmth year round
To a tune set in three-season time
Her suitors are sunshine and sweet rolling rain
And the occasional jealous lover,
Hurricane
She’s a southern gal, full of charm and allure
Her gray and furrowed bark is adorned with lace
Tucked here and there like a grandmother's handkerchief
She plays a lovely host to the ferns and the moss
That require nothing but her endurance and the air
Lovers leave their calling cards
Etched upon hardened heart
And old men entwine silver beards
Full of dreams, both won and lost
I’ve sat nestle in the curve of your leafy womb
When my soul needed solitude
I’ve skinned my knees and elbows
Simply for the joy of climbing you
I’ve tasted the shakers of sunshine you sprinkle
Through the tops of your breezy boughs
And dared gravity to question me
On my quest to grab a cloud
I’ve listened close to your rustling whisper
A lover’s voice, raspy into my ear
A whisper sweet
Susurrus
©LSR2010
Comments
AUTHORThank you so very, very much!
Very very nuce.
- AUTHOR
Thank you, Augustine.
Lovely...
- AUTHOR
MFB, you should climb one again soon. They are still as wonderful as you remember.
God,I miss scampering up above the mundane summer days of Kidhood to the glorious the earthly heavens perchedin the limbs of a tree, high up where no one could see me. I knew first kisses there, and initials shared using a pen as a knife, plus hours of imagination run amock, we were pirates, indians or anything our tree would let us be, and coming down was always sad, 'cept it was usually Mom calling me to luch or supper, and eating was almost as good as communing with a tree.
Loved this much~~MFB III
- AUTHOR
Thank you for your kind words, JBeadle, so nice to meet you.
Another very nice poem. The words go straight from the eyes to the soul.
- AUTHOR
Hi Micky Dee, oddly enough, in all my comings and goings around the southeast I've never lived in, or even visited Charleston. I'll have to be sure to see the Angel Oaks if travel leads me that directions. And thank you, glad you enjoyed it.
That's my favorite tree! There are a couple of trees known as the Angel Oaks just south of Charleston, SC on Johns Island. I've played manytimes on these beautiful trees. They have made the area a park now. But I have enjoyed so many Oaks! Thanks!
- AUTHOR
Thank you so much, Ken, glad you enjoyed it.
Excellent imagery. A poem that truly speaks.
- AUTHOR
I do love to climb a tree! That's me in the last pics above. Not a terribly daunting tree, but that day we were hiking in the swamp woods, where they all grow straight up, The challenge was in finding one I could get a knee into, lol.
Charlie, my "best yet", you say? Well, just wait till you see the one I've got lying around here somewhere about puppy dogs, lol! My Spanish is really atrocious so you can rustle about and whisper whatever you like; it all sounds good to me, LMAO. Thank you so much for the compliment, it truly means a great deal coming from you.
Laurel, "magnificent?", now it's my turn to say, "Oh, my." Thank you, and thank you, I'm humbled.
How perfectly you've captured the grandeur of-some-trees! At first, my only comment was going to be "Oh, my." But, lalesu, this is magnificent.
Your best yet girl. I love all the metaphors that give it such richness. Wayne can hug all the trees, I'll hug you. (((hug))) haha ¿Qué susurros quiere usted oír? Le amo mujer dulce.
- AUTHOR
Thank you, kind sir.
Mmm...that one has got me wanting to go out and hug an Oak! Very nice, Laura!
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