Sunday, September 15, 2013

Once, the Egyptians...


Once, among abundant tree groves
carving our initials
here
there
up
and
down
the long trunks, we
commemorated
days
of our lives
in space and time
births
deaths
debits
credits
and floods of biblical proportions.


And trees, witnesses of all life and death, growth and decay, tears and laughter
engulfed us
in our cradles
offered pulp and fruit
chisel and hammer handles
to clear the land
and forge new paths
to see above our heads
to worlds beyond our immediate reach
where new standards
could be etched
on paper
traveling by ships
or light source
the Egyptians
had no knowledge of
when they mashed that pulpy tree
to mark the growth of their civilization.

10 comments:

  1. Yes; oh yes, indeed! The trees are witnesses, whether standing or papered.

    Blessings and Bear hugs!

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  3. smiles...the trees will still be here when we get back from space...it is pretty amazing some of the things early civilization knew...or worked out...

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  4. I love trees in all seasons. they know a lot...

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  5. Wow. I have no words. I still love paper. Sometimes, the coldness of these electronic devices leaves me empty. I love that I can communicate with you and others on this flat iPad, but our communication is so temporary. It will not last.

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  6. Well done. Ozymandias is my favorite on Egypt then. So tragic now....

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  7. Indeed, it makes you wonder how much we owe to trees and how much we're willing to give back. Fine poem. Many thanks.

    Greetings from London.

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  8. Wonderful way you combine the living aspect of trees - their canopy, their shade, their oxygen and life-giving qualities - with how they live on in their aspect as pulp on which are written timeless messages of humankind.

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  9. It seems astounding that this actual tree essence carries all our stories to one another. We are all one.

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