"Sticks and stones may break my bones but words can never hurt me" We teach this verse to our children before sending them out into the emotional perils of the world and school. But we all know, words can indeed hurt us. And we all need a totem, a ritual to cling to to draw strength to overcome the hurt. How wonderful to take the verses and invert it - to draw strength from the stick - or from the bark rather. The tallest beech has overcome every insult and challenge thrown at it by nature and man. The gnarled bark bears testimony to the scars received, to serves as a tough outer layer, grown to protect the inner core. Many traditional people have worshipped trees. Intuitively we still know the awesome healing power under the towering branches.
7 comments:
A most effective jux. "hurtful" is a word I generally don't like, but it works here because it reflects the subjectivity of the speaker.
"Sticks and stones may break my bones but words can never hurt me"
We teach this verse to our children before sending them out into the emotional perils of the world and school. But we all know, words can indeed hurt us. And we all need a totem, a ritual to cling to to draw strength to overcome the hurt. How wonderful to take the verses and invert it - to draw strength from the stick - or from the bark rather. The tallest beech has overcome every insult and challenge thrown at it by nature and man. The gnarled bark bears testimony to the scars received, to serves as a tough outer layer, grown to protect the inner core. Many traditional people have worshipped trees. Intuitively we still know the awesome healing power under the towering branches.
@Bill - i am not too keen on adjectives either, especially in haiku but sometimes rules must be broken...
thank you
@Strider - i wish i could comment like you. i always learn from your words for which i'm grateful
Polona - You are an artist in the way you paint a wonderful and evocative poem with the least possible words. My congratulations.
Warren
you are too kind, Warren, but your kind words feel good. thank you.
sad and poignant yet hopeful too in the instinctive reaching out to the healing chi of a tree.
thank you, Janice... i've had a few trees in my life i felt i could connect with...
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