Metaphor

I used to write a lot of poetry, but this is the only one that, on rereading, I had decided to keep. Enjoy.

A quiet birch that stood alone

And stretched her branches to the sky,

So fragile - like a soothing tone

One makes when people he loves cry,

 

Had no leaves left except for two,

That intertwined like lovers do,

And wondering - is this love true?

I started watching, and wouldn't fly

 

Away, I swore, until I knew

That this one'd have a happy end,

And so I watched, and waited full

Of hope that fate would not be cruel.

 

And as the winter came and then

Painted her branches as he ran

And coloured everything in white

With snowflakes, tiny all and light

 

Reflected from this praying tree,

So blinding that I couldn't see

However, hear the harsh wind's scream,

I still remember in my dreams,

 

With cruelty I've never known

Or even could have seen before,

For until now, his breeze had flown

Through me like waves beyond the shore,

 

And every time that he had blown

The leaves together he had brought,

So how could I have ever thought?

That he'd do something else but roam

 

The wild and never make me fear?

My hope still hadn't disappeared,

But when I saw the left leaf tremble,

Like it was shivering from the cold,

 

And with it, then, my soul would fold

Just like a paper before it will

Be ripped apart, apart until

It's small enough to be thrown away, still,

 

Even now, the wind was crying,

And then he sent the left leaf flying,

And made it dance through the cold air,

And laughed as if he didn't care,

 

And screamed, and howled, and laughed again.

Helpless, I watched where it would land

And watched the other leaf's despair

As it was being tossed around

 

And couldn't even make a sound �"

It was still stuck the birch's arm.

Just one harsh breeze did so much harm,

I thought, and yet, it was, oh, just one leaf

 

That suddenly now took its leave

And never would come back again.

And still... the tree would never be the same,

I knew, and also knew my heart was tamed.

 

I built my nest within that tree.

Not sure if I could bare to see

This sacrifice just go to waste,

I put this one leaf at the base

 

Of it. And throughout many harsh and cruel

Storms that now always seemed to fool

With this one birch, be it through winds or rain or hail,

The tree would still always prevail.

 

I think I got my happy end.

Author's Note

Thank you for taking the time to read this poem.

Reviews

[Nicole]

Quite a colorful poem. Your use of imagery is very vivid and compelling. I can see the leaf fluttering in the wind, desperately trying to hang on before it releases the tree and rides the wind. Your rhyme scheme was very good, too. It made the poem flow nicely, gently carrying the reader from one line to the next. I also like how you wrote the poem through the perspective of the bird, and I would like to think that the "happy ending" is the bird finding a strong tree to build it's nest. The leaves may have fallen, but the truck and the branches withstood the harsh winter, and the bird felt safe building it's home. In a way, it christened the tree after it's scourge with the elements. I can tell you're experienced and look forward to reading more of your work.

[Micaelia]

Oh my gosh,
thank you so much for this review! I'm really glad you liked it, and I'll make sure to write more. ^^