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With thanks to the Cape Fear Surfrider Foundation
Stripped of angels
that haloed its crown, the tree
lies bare and awkward, shaved trunk
shoved into sparse remains of a dune lost
to last year's storms. Tourists laugh at its odd,
prone position, but soon its parched arms catch
swirls of sand and settle them gently on the rising
slope. The tree blends with beach elder and sea
oats, mingles with dwarf fountain grass
to become the dune's spine, its fragile
hold on integrity. Grown from the
deep emerald energy of the forest,
the tree shines as the graced
do, even now reimagined.
From To Drink from a Wider Bowl (Evening Street Press, 2022).
Used here with permission.
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Joanne Durham is a retired educator who lives on the North Carolina coast, with the ocean as her backyard and muse. She's the author of To Drink from a Wider Bowl, which won the Sinclair Poetry Prize, and On Shifting Shoals. Joanne's poetry has appeared in numerous journals and anthologies and she teaches workshops about poetry inspired by art. When she's not writing, Joanne says she plays tennis, practices yoga, delights in her grandchildren, and "works for a better world in which they can grow up." Learn more about her at https://www.joannedurham.com/.
 
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Anastasia:
Trees have so many uses after the holidayI hadn't heard of this one before!
Posted 12/31/2023 12:06 AM
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peggy.turnbull:
This beautiful poem has many stunning lines, but I'm partial to: "The tree blends with beach elder and sea
oats, mingles with dwarf fountain grass" because of the use of specific plants that--turns out--please my ear and create gorgeous images.
Posted 12/30/2023 03:43 PM
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Lori Levy:
Beautiful image of the "recycled" Christmas tree. I agree with the others' comments.
Posted 12/28/2023 12:45 PM
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KevinArnold:
Oh my: the dunes spine, its fragile
hold on integrity.
Posted 12/28/2023 10:04 AM
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Sharon Waller Knutson:
I loved this picturesque poem describing a tree discarded in the dunes, a far cry from the forest where it grew and the home where it wore an angel and other decorations. Favorite image:The tree blends with beach elder and sea
oats, mingles with dwarf fountain grass
to become the dunes spine, its fragile
hold on integrity.
Posted 12/28/2023 09:14 AM
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Larry Schug:
Well, this is something I've never thought of, especially poetically. We all end up somewhere and it seems this tree was rewarded with a fine "disposal", not to mention the fact that it was remembered in a fine poem.
Posted 12/28/2023 07:51 AM
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Gilbert Allen:
A lovely poem for the fourth day of Christmas.
Posted 12/28/2023 07:48 AM
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bobbi43sml@aol.com:
This is beautiful on so many levels sustainable comes to mind.. as poetic the words, ( which sustain my soul,) so completely poetic is the process of the christmas tree rebuilding, sustaining the dune hope personified .I love it. Our boy scouts here in Plymouth recycle our trees in similar fashion
Posted 12/28/2023 06:58 AM
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