http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._N._Taber
“We admit that we are
like apes, but we seldom realise that we are apes.”
- Richard
Dawkins, A Devil's Chaplain:Reflections on Hope, Lies, Science and Love
“To dwellers in a wood,
almost every species of tree has its voice as well as its feature.”
- Thomas Hardy, Under the Greenwood Tree
One touch of nature makes the whole world kin."
- William Shakespeare, Troilus and Cressida
From
my window, I can easily make out two trees, facing each other across a road; no
imagination can fail to respond to nature, and mine is no exception. Among
their leaves and branches, heads emerge closely resembling apes.
During
the UK lock-down, I have engaged with these head shapes; as the wind blows, I is
as if they are engaging in conversation and my muse frequently enjoyed
listening-in. Could this be because I
live alone and missing social interaction with friends, I ask myself, or am I
losing more than my share of marbles? We only have to read history books to
discover that so many questions are left hanging … or listen in to tree apes.
ENGAGING
WITH VETERANS or NATURE AND HUMAN NATURE, QUESTIONS LEFT HANGING ON
(FAMILY) TREES
Something
about certain shapes in our trees
against
a lively backcloth of sky
suggests
a Planet of Apes lasting centuries?
Life
forces everywhere, aping personalities
not
unfamiliar to the human eye;
something
about certain shapes in our trees
Eyes,
noses, mouths, courtesy of arty leaves
lends
imagination a reality by and by,
suggests
a Planet of Apes lasting centuries?
Earth
Mother, mulling on human ingenuities
(among
them, the bare faced lie);
something
about certain shapes in our trees
Humankind,
all but bringing nature to its knees,
whisperings
in the wind’s weepy sigh,
suggests
a Planet of Apes lasting centuries?
Enter,
humanity obsessed with potential enemies
(more
power to the elbow than any sky);
something
about certain shapes in our trees
suggests
a Planet of Apes lasting centuries?
Copyright
R. N. Taber, 2020
Note:
Composed May 1st during the
UK lockdown]
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