October is a month of mixed memories for me - the endings and beginnings of several important relationships in my life. This is what life is - endings and beginnings. Living in a temperate zone, it is the endings we might feel most strongly with the falling of leaves. But there is still so much beauty in the trees!
In England there are garlands of 'old mans beard' and clusters of berries along the country lanes - my father helped me gather those once for a wedding. He died in late October, far too young. In my Ozark forest, the dogwoods are blushing dusty pink in the filtered light. I've been lost and found in this forest.
The first poem below is about this paradox of loss and gain. Its mention of Raven reminds of death but also of reflective memory and the wisdom that comes of that. Raven has brought messages to me on several occasions. He is mentioned in my posts The Hanged Man (Odin's Ravens) and in Like the Wings of my Father.
Lost by David Wagoner
Stand still. The trees ahead and bushes beside you
Are not lost. Wherever you are is called Here,
And you must treat it as a powerful stranger,
Must ask permission to know it and be known.
The forest breathes. Listen. It answers,
I have made this place around you,
If you leave it you may come back again, saying Here.
No two trees are the same to Raven.
No two branches are the same to Wren.
If what a tree or a bush does is lost on you,
You are surely lost. Stand still. The forest knows
Where you are. You must let it find you.
I recently rediscovered the above poem in an email I wrote to my partner Joe who has helped me beyond measure: 'Thank you for walking me in the trees. I wonder if you know what this was doing to me? I was listening and I heard. I'm grateful.' I wrote the next poem for Joe. Here you will find my own green cat.
Viriditas by Sulis (Sara Firman)
That gleam on greenwhose swift pause
is a glimpsed mood
half-hidden at the edge
of a foliated dream
sending its soft mewl
a rippled renaissance
through furred leaf
whiskered and burred
is the verdant one
sleek feral queen
masked in oak
Quick pan, ripe puck
track this brightening
of the imaginal realm
teach this aspirant
of feline stealth
claw-sharp ways
to blur the physical
outline of her face
merge with you now
in green wood deep
moon blanched love
wild and forever
Thank you from the bottom of my heart Joe!
The beautiful green cat image used to illustrate this post was created by Angela Russell. It was shown at the Tate Modern, London, as part of an exhibition of Therapeutic Art created by people with personality disorders who enjoyed art therapy as part of their treatment.
For more poems about trees see The Solace of Trees (7 poems by Sulis)
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