When you cut the limb it shifts the weight
The tree man cautions against
cutting to the trunk
Yes, the limb is mostly dead
but the tree will unsettle
This is how I make room
for my own decay
The tree will look strange
without the grasping limb
My dead branches live
as part of my whole
Without cutting, the limb will
one day break and crash
My decay may consume me
but if I cut now, I may topple
in the next screaming wind
11 thoughts on "When you cut the limb it shifts the weight"
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Very powerful imagery and message
imagery and metaphor in play here!
Uncomfortable metaphor. Ouch! 😉
love that ending, and the line/concept: making room for my own decay
Good poem! Love how you cut to the chase with the meaning. The ending works very well.
Yeah, what they said.
Great poem!
This is brilliant. Thanks for sharing.
I love the turn to the tree-like human in the third couplet.
Very good metaphor for the choices we all make about what and when to prune. Love the word “unsettle” and its placement.
And also, this poem brings to mind a saying from my Uncle Jack: “Don’t be sitting on the branch you’re trimming.”
I love how the poem turns around “This is how I make room/for my own decay.” Brilliant writing, Bill!
Great title!