Trees

As a member of the Poetry Society of Colorado I am eligible to enter the contests that are reserved for those who pay yearly dues; a whopping thirty dollars a year and I'm in good standing.  I don't always understand the form or the theme, but like any other prompt that gets me writing I consider the contests a form of inspiration.  The April members only contest was a double etheree form, "When poetry called" theme.  Ah, when poetry called.  That is an easy one for me and I've actually written about my lifelong love of Trees by Joyce Kilmer on a few occasions.  I have weaved a reference or two into a poem here and there.  I am very familiar with when poetry called.  I can actually recall the exact moment when in my eight year old brain, I was hooked.

It was the form that kind of had me ruminating.  A double etheree: 1 to 10 and back again, or 10 to 1 and back again.  A bit confusing, but I thought I had it.  So I write, and edit and re-write and recite and run it by a trusted friend (or cousin) or two to see if my words make sense...  and I think I finally have it. Finito!  I added another dimension of difficulty all on my own - HA! - and used the same lines coming and going, with only one minor change in the 10 count line.  (the longest)

Whew - hard work and I thought I'd done a damn good job.  I recite the final, final, final version to my daughter, Andrea Faith.  Did I mention this was the final version?  No more re-writes, no editing.  Just press print and grab an envelope for the meeting in two days where I can gleefully submit in person.  I don't recall what Andrea said but she said something that had me doubting that I had followed the form.  So I look the form up again and son-of-a-gun I don't have it quite right.  The etheree form is a syllable count.  I had read it, not just once but several times as a word form.  So where I was supposed to have written 10 then 9 then 8 and so on SYLLABLES, I had done the correct number count-but in words.  So not an etheree at all.

Oh the last minute agony as the contest deadline approaches!  Do I start again and just write another poem - with the proper form and following clear directions this time?  No.  I have decided I really like my poem just the way it is and I am sharing this nameless poetic form poem here with you today.  I hope you enjoy it!

Seeds

Firmly sown

Couplets to saplings

Sprout verse, roots, gen(i)us

Woods named for Joyce Kilmer

Planter of my germinal poem, Trees

Memorized by the time I arrived home

Recited by Mrs. Whidden in the third grade

Children bloom…but only God can make a tree

Words blossom, sap as ink, leaves in my arboreal book
Leaves in my arboreal book, words blossom, sap as ink
Children bloom…but only God can make a tree
Recited by Mrs. Whidden in the third grade
Memorized by the time I arrived home
Planter of my germinal poem, Trees

Woods named for Joyce Kilmer

Sprout verse, roots, gen(i)us

Couplets to Saplings 

Firmly sown

Seeds

Time to Write,

Jane