Friday, April 24, 2009


Our Friends

The morning had just awakened, stretching out her graceful arms in painterly strokes of pink and blue as she yawned with sweet breezes that sailed in from the east and made the windchimes sing in rounds of tenor voices.
The poplar noticed first.
Down below, the big white dog was tearing cross the garden, fur flying out behind him as he bore down on a fat grey rabbit whose spatula feet fast forwarded it... always just a bit out of reach... till it scooted under the wooden fence like a vapour. Stunned, the white dog watched the cottontail disappear with barks of frustration. The old poplar tree laughed, his lemonlime leaves fluttering in their Spring-born fuzziness, and soon, one by ever larger one, they were all awake to share in this comedy unfolding far beneath them on the garden floor.

They are the guardians of the ivy covered cottage that nestles beneath their greenly benevolent gaze. From their tip top branches where the Great Horned Owl surveys the midnight landscape, all the way down, down to their horrible-muddy, long-fingered roots clasping hands with one another far below the surface of the soil. They have stood their ground for decades. These venerable oaks and mischievous, cone-throwing pines. These girlish pink dogwoods and quietly handsome maples. Through winter snow and summer storm, they dance in the wind and lift their leafy faces to the rain, while mockingbirds nest in the crooks of their arms and squirrels chase squirrels on the tightropes of their high-wire branches.
Occasionally, especially in April, their bashful new leaves shyly brush the windows to say hello.

They are our friends. They are our trees.
And tis too true, no poem could be lovelier.

Painting by Joyce Gibson


37 comments:

  1. Ooh I love this story. And the picture is just magical!!

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  2. I love this post and the drawing!!

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  3. How beautiful! I LOVE the picture you posted and the lovely story! How touching!

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  4. Oh this is lovely - the picture and the story!!! Love the detail in the piece! Namaste, Sarah

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  5. Your post makes the trees seem mystically powerful.

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  6. Your blog and work are incredible. I'm so very glad you visited my little blog since it brought me to your magical world :0) and Edward, of course!

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  7. You have portrayed the trees so beautifully with your words, and your love of them.

    Have you painted the picture too? It is amazing.

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  8. I love this Pamela....I saw a Father Nature Garden Statue At Tuesday Morning today that reminds me of the picture!

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  9. another magical word picture - loved it Pamela -

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  10. I am so impressed with your way with words. What a wonderful imagination you have and what a creative way of expressing it.

    Thank you for your sweet word picture.

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  11. I have always loved the idea of trees having faces. I suppose it is from The Wizard of Oz, although they were mean trees!
    Catherine

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  12. If this were not in prose, I woud call it lyrical poetry.

    To my soul it is sheer poetry.

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  13. What a beautiful painting, it has all my favourite things, an owl, an old tree and a moon.

    Edward sounds about as adept at catching rabbits as Ted, which is a good thing because I am so fond of rabbits.

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  14. I love your picture. Who is it by? It's how I often see trees on my walks.

    Poor Edward not getting the rabbit. LOL I can just hear his frustration.

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  15. Hello P&E,

    Another beautiful portrait in words!

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  16. I always find your posts so imaginative and refreshing, Pamela. The picture is great too!

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  17. oh I'm so glad the bunny escaped! I love the picture and the bashful leaves...

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  18. It's rare that I happen upon literature of such quality. Your blog was a great find!

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  19. Love the picture..and the story is magical..:).

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  20. How wonderful to think of trees as having personalities! I've seen so many delicate blooming springtime trees dancing in the breeze like ballerinas this week!

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  21. More than flowers I love trees and shrubs.My husband has declared my garden of trees to be Oxygen One. I like that. I tell people to come into my garden and breathe deeply...and thank the trees. By the way, I think it is amazing how much you and the handsome Edward lookalike. True love.

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  22. beautiful post!!! beautiful blog. thanks for stopping by mine. cate blanchett is a great choice by the way. i heart her too. can i come back with her career though?
    xoj

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  23. i adore trees !!!!
    what is it ?.... that we find so beautiful.
    and ivy....that is a true love of mine.

    xx

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  24. what wonderful images those words of yours paint in my mind.

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  25. How wonderful. A magical story and beautiful picture.

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  26. Oh, how wonderful - magical picture, magical words, thankyou:)

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  27. As everyone has remarked, a magical and beautiful story.
    Yes, trees have always been considered to have character and power.

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  28. Beautiful Pamela - and I know the trees of England are waiting to welcome me in their Spring gowns. Hope to get pics of mighty oaks and chestnuts - my favorites!!

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  29. Superb post. I love the surrealism of it.

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  30. Oh, gorgeous! Image and prose! So magical, mystical and poetic-- I want to go there... with Edward there waiting, too!

    Ah trees; the magic majesty and individuality... when I moved last, even though it was winter, I took pictures of all my friends, and then went to say goodbye to each.

    I love your lemon-lime leaves, and your "roots", too!

    Happy Weekend

    Circe

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  31. Oh what gorgeous imagery and words. Thank you Pamela for these lovely interludes. Have a lovely weekend!

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  32. So true, Pamela.
    We live on a tiny little lot, but we fell in love with it because of the huge Italian cypress tree in the back yard. It keeps the whole house cool in the summer, and my bedroom feels like I am in a tree house.
    We also planted a multi trunked sycamore tree in the front of our home. I couldn't imagine our home without these beautiful friends to shade us.

    xo
    Brooke

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  33. Oh, il est vraiment trés beau, cet arbre... Trés poétique. Il me fait penser à une vieille carte de Tarot... trés spirituel !
    Kisses from France,
    Tatieva

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  34. HI
    Don't suppose you are in London on May 6th but if you are drop me a line as we are having a book launch and i would love to meet you,
    best wishes
    Ros x

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  35. ...scooted under the wooden fence like vapour....so discriptive. I love your writing, Pamela.

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I love to read your comments! Each and every one! Though I'm always reading your comments, I may not respond in the comment section. If you want to write me directly, you may do so at pamela@pamelaterry.net. Thank you for reading!