Tagged forests
You, friendly forest
For the Festival of the Trees 49, host Yvonne Osborne encourages us to muse upon our favorite tree. All month I’ve wondered how to pick a single favorite, and I finally decided to take a page from the books of VR Barkowski, and Tricia J. O’Brien, and simply share a selection of favorites.
These short haiku offer a small sliver of the many beloved trees from different places and times in my life. Because the list just keeps going, I’ve limited myself to 15 trees.
* * *
Sweet weeping Sorrow,
motherly watcher,
you, pseudotsuga.
* * *
Smooth trio of trunks
tandem of listeners
you, who know my name.
* * *
Island of escape,
shady corner grove,
you, the boundary.
* * *
Traveler’s jewel
draped over dream-pools
you, cherished respite.
* * *
Teacher of sacred
mountain whisperer
you, my rootedness.
* * *
Acer palmatum
tender reminder
you, lunch time rest stop.
* * *
Hall of hawthorn-blooms
pink-white promenade
you, daily-salute.
* * *
Forest of fresh starts
haven of misfits
you, lens of purpose.
* * *
Rhododendronesque
cousin, wet mangrove,
you, marine forest.
* * *
Sweeping butternut
fuzzy sentinel
you, gentle juglans.
* * *
Winter amber blush
grey-skinned hardwood beech
you, friend of rivers.
* * *
Garden gate greeter
fruit percussionist
you, patient guava.
* * *
Applauding the breeze
hearty pioneer,
you, breath of balsam.
* * *
Christmas cone surprise
always enduring
you, noble fir blue.
* * *
Midnight moon shadow
bowing in darkness
you, shaggy hemlock.
* * *
Monday, June 28th is the final day to submit for Festival 49. Let your favorite trees inspire you, and join us for the Festival!
Call for Submissions: Festival of the Trees at The Organic Writer Blog
I invite you to take a moment, close your eyes, and consider:
What is your favorite tree?
Maybe you think of a specific tree you know, or perhaps you think of a tree species you love. Maybe you don’t even know what the species of your favorite tree is, but by sweetgum, you know you love it!
This July, our host for The Festival of the Trees 49 is Yvonne Osborne of The Organic Writer blog. Yvonne and I share a love of writing, gardening, and dreaming, (and apparently a healthy synthesis of the three).
For Festival 49, Yvonne invites us to share a glimpse of “our favorite trees, whether from a childhood memory (sad or joyful) or the one growing outside our window, with participants using art in any form to relate their story — haiku, photography, flash story, sculpture, painting, etc.” — however the tree spirits move us.
I’ve never found a FOTT theme to be quite as challenging as this one. How to pick a favorite? Every place I’ve ever lived, studied, worked, or wandered has marked my memory with a tree (or two, or three), or a forest. Apart from my desire to study at a liberal arts college, at least half the reason I chose to attend The Evergreen State College was because the Evergreen campus is so well forested. If you’re one of my long-time readers at Arboreality, you already know that I select my places of residence based as much on cost and convenience as on the abundance of trees in proximity. My earliest, happiest, loneliest, strangest and most familiar memories all blush forest green. Where to begin?
Don’t wait for me to decide: everyone is welcome to participate in The Festival of the Trees. It’s easy to join in the fun:
1) Blog about trees
2) Send us the link
3) Spread the word
4) Enjoy the Festival on the first day of every month
Details for The Festival of the Trees 49:
Host: The Organic Writer
Deadline: June 28
Email to: yvonneosborne08 [at] gmail [dot] com – or use the contact form
Themes: Our favorite trees, shared in any art form.
Important! Put “Festival of the Trees” in the subject line of your email
And remember to enjoy the June Festival of the Trees 48 now online at Wandering Owl Outside.
Still want more? The Festival of the Trees has been published every month since July 2006. Browse the FOTT archives, and enjoy!
Festival of the Trees 48 Now Online at Wandering Owl
Jump into June with the Festival of the Trees 48, hosted by Casey Harn at the Wandering Owl Outside blog. Harn brings us an intriguing selection of tree and forest related posts to peruse, and I’m especially smitten with the collection of Hawthorne tree images (I have a history with these trees which I will share some day), and the discussion of rare pines residing around Lake Tahoe.
Hop over, and enjoy!
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Remember: The Festival of the Trees is for everyone! Would you like to host the Festival at your blog? Learn how to volunteer, and contact us with your interest!