Fortitude
There
she stands
like a desert piñón
snug to a sheer cliff
her time twisted trunk
steel-cabled and bending
sprawling roots cleaving
stubbornly to the stones
gnarled limbs akimbo
in defiance
of winds
she
was
made
to endure.
15 thoughts on "Fortitude"
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She’s a tough one, alright. Great descriptions. I like this poem and the shape of it on the page.
Thanks so much, Bill 🙂
Yes! pine tree poems.
Great title, I like that it’s a she.
Fortitude echoed attitude ( the good strong kind) for me.
Perfect description and the ending lands solid.
Thank you Coleman, I think your Redwood inspired me today 🌲
The tree shape! I love it.
Thanks, Chelsie :). I wasn’t sure if I could make it work.
I like the combination of “steel-cabled” and “bending.” Also, of course, the shape!
Thanks!
I see these trees when I hike and they always inspire me but I’ve never put it to words like this! Gorgeous!
If I ever get a new knee I’d love to join you!
I loved the image of the piñón, they have piñón coffee here in New Mexico and it’s quite tasty!
I grew up in New Mexico :). The piñón coffee is wonderful, but what I miss most are the nuts! During the season, we’d lay blankets under a piñón and shake the hell out of it to get the nuts to fall out of the cones.
Love! Love! Great form and strength both in the words you weave and the message. So glad you joined lexpomo this month! What an outpouring of wonder!
Maybe we table the manuscript, and I use my remaining mentor hours with you to create a collection? 😀
But you have an agent in the wings!! Some of the poems can be incorporated into the ms.