A Poet's Blog: Roger N.Taber shares his thoughts & poems...

Thoughts and observations by English poet Roger N. Taber, a retired librarian and poet-novelist.- "Ethnicity, Religion, Gender, Sexuality ... these are but parts of a whole. It is the whole that counts." RNT [NB While I have no wish to create a social network, I will always reply to critical emails about my poetry. Contact: rogertab@aol.com].

Name:
Location: London, United Kingdom

Sadly, a bad fall in 2012 has left me with a mobility problem, and being diagnosed with prostate cancer the same year hasn't helped, but I get out and about with my trusty walking stick as much as I can, take each day as it comes and try to keep looking on the bright(er) side of life. Many of my poems reflect the need to nurture a positive-thinking mindset whatever life throws at us.

Thursday, 28 May 2020

Ode to the Fallen OR Engaging with a Dead Tree Trunk

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._N._Taber

This poem has appeared on the blog before, some years ago. As regular readers will know, I have a You Tube channel that is as much about my friend Graham’s videos as my poetry. Many a time, I have felt inspired to write a poem to try and do the video justice and vice versa. We hope you will enjoy what has been a team effort from the start:

I read today's poem over one of the videos there. Graham shot the video while visiting family in Wiltshire, and I love it. I played it back several times, and then just had to sit down and write a nature-cum philosophical poem to accompany it.

Many years ago, I confided in my mother that I was afraid of dying. Later that day we went for a walk in the countryside and she pointed to a dead tree trunk; we watched a variety of insects, birds, mosses growing and a colony of ants all building their lives around this 'dead' thing. You see," said my mother, "there is no death without life so there is really nothing to be afraid of...whether you believe in God or not," she added, knowing full well that I did not share her religious beliefs. (I had chosen to take a growing sense of spirituality from nature even at the young age of eleven). "Life and death," she said before changing the subject, "are simply different sides of the same coin."

My mother died of cancer 40+ years ago, and I still take great comfort in recalling the day we paused to observe a dead tree trunk and nature's living memorial to it...

ODE TO THE FALLEN or ENGAGING WITH A DEAD TREE TRUNK

Fallen, but not forgotten,
by its own kind,
sure to keep a vigil of sorts
the whole year round

Fallen, but never alone
among its kind
proudly waiting for their turn
to come around

Fallen, by whose hand
no one knows;
some say an axe man, others
blame the wind

Fallen into glorious decay,
like autumn leaves;
nurturing, inspiring greener
memories

If dead, not left without a care
by an Earth Mother   
demanding nothing of Time
but its signature

Once, a living icon for a world
of love and peace;
a cue for ants to keep running
rings around us

Copyright R. N. Taber 2013; 2020




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