…
If we fall
and make a slight sound
and no one’s around,
will our wisdom go to
waste, just be erased?
If we offer
our skins for your unquiet
songs, won’t you bid us
to raise our own limbs, and
rustle our leaves along?
..
Today’s Quadrille, from over at dVerse. Come play!
Whimsygizmo's Blog 
This is just wonderful… the wisdom of this poignant, especially the first stanza… a wasted fall.
There is nothing sludgy here. When we returned home this year we learned of all the trees that were lost because of the heavy snowfall. It breaks my heart but that is the circle of life, I suppose. The last two lines just did it for me. Ah.
A beautiful voice, so wise we can hear it whisper from the driftwood too :o)
I love the title and the questions De ~ Beautiful response ~
I really love this, De, especially “unquiet songs”. Great work!
I interpreted this as man as tree. As far as wisdom goes, you could do worse 🙂
Oh my. Seriously De…I love this. LOVE.
Our wisdom will not be wasted … it will be there still for others to learn! We would not want to deny them the journey.
I love this: “If we offer
our skins for your unquiet”
This is my favorite, as if you’re talking to the songs:
“songs, won’t you bid us
to raise our own limbs”
This is beautifully haunting, De ❤️
I like the wisdom of the trees.
Ah, you do have a way with perspective! (This feeds my current muse as I am working on a fictional piece that heavily involves trees – thanks for sharing!)
Cousins, guardians, neighbors–trees are all that and more. We murder our air and the planet–sad, sad
I like that. The trees falling in the forest, offering their skins, (bark) for drums, making an unquiet song. That is really great imagery.
This really speaks to me as a lovely willow fell last week and my heart wept for all that she was.
I love all things trees and feel their wisdom could never be erased. Beautifully put, De.
This makes me think that sacrifice shouldn’t be silenced but celebrated. I think this is an excellent poem, De.
You know I love anything to do with trees, De! And I love the way you’ve taken a well-known phrase and made it your own. But most of all I love the second stanza.
Smiling I am. You had me with the title. A wonderful response to that age old question posed in the first stanza. I love this! And I have thought that trees have personalities and live their own lives…ever since seeing some of the animated trees dancing and smiling in the old Disney cartoons! 🙂 You just look at them and can see feet, arms, etc. LOVE this post! 🙂
Beautiful, sounds like a soft song.
Love this from the trees’ point of view.
Beautiful and tender, yet it has the strength of the trees.
Nice shift in perspective from us wondering if the tree makes a sound when it falls if no one hears it to the tree wondering about its own wisdom going to waste.
I like the quiet wisdom in the trees and the questions asked. The last part says to me, we give so much (“offer our skins for your unquiet songs”), why not give something back (“raise our own limbs and rustle our leaves along”); instead of just taking, listen to the songs it sings for us.
Such wise words and well said.
The wisdom of trees is universal. Hopefully countries that are devastating them will wake up. Touched by your words, ❤
tender yet strong tribute to the trees that fall for man , going unnoticed and unappreciated, sad but beautiful, these words echo my hurt when i see them “fall”