Login
|
Join PoetrySoup
Home
Submit Poems
Login
Sign Up
Member Home
My Poems
My Quotes
My Profile & Settings
My Inboxes
My Outboxes
Soup Mail
Contest Results/Status
Contests
Poems
Poets
Famous Poems
Famous Poets
Dictionary
Types of Poems
Quotes
Short Stories
Articles
Forum
Blogs
Poem of the Day
New Poems
Resources
Syllable Counter
Anthology
Grammar Check
Greeting Card Maker
Classifieds
Member Area
Member Home
My Profile and Settings
My Poems
My Quotes
My Short Stories
My Articles
My Comments Inboxes
My Comments Outboxes
Soup Mail
Poetry Contests
Contest Results/Status
Followers
Poems of Poets I Follow
Friend Builder
Soup Social
Poetry Forum
New/Upcoming Features
The Wall
Soup Facebook Page
Who is Online
Link to Us
Member Poems
Poems - Top 100 New
Poems - Top 100 All-Time
Poems - Best
Poems - by Topic
Poems - New (All)
Poems - New (PM)
Poems - New by Poet
Poems - Random
Poems - Read
Poems - Unread
Member Poets
Poets - Best New
Poets - New
Poets - Top 100 Most Poems
Poets - Top 100 Most Poems Recent
Poets - Top 100 Community
Poets - Top 100 Contest
Famous Poems
Famous Poems - African American
Famous Poems - Best
Famous Poems - Classical
Famous Poems - English
Famous Poems - Haiku
Famous Poems - Love
Famous Poems - Short
Famous Poems - Top 100
Famous Poets
Famous Poets - Living
Famous Poets - Most Popular
Famous Poets - Top 100
Famous Poets - Best
Famous Poets - Women
Famous Poets - African American
Famous Poets - Beat
Famous Poets - Cinquain
Famous Poets - Classical
Famous Poets - English
Famous Poets - Haiku
Famous Poets - Hindi
Famous Poets - Jewish
Famous Poets - Love
Famous Poets - Metaphysical
Famous Poets - Modern
Famous Poets - Punjabi
Famous Poets - Romantic
Famous Poets - Spanish
Famous Poets - Suicidal
Famous Poets - Urdu
Famous Poets - War
Poetry Resources
Anagrams
Bible
Book Store
Character Counter
Cliché Finder
Poetry Clichés
Common Words
Copyright Information
Grammar
Grammar Checker
Homonym
Homophones
How to Write a Poem
Lyrics
Love Poem Generator
New Poetic Forms
Plagiarism Checker
Poetics
Poetry Art
Publishing
Random Word Generator
Spell Checker
Store
What is Good Poetry?
Word Counter
Email Poem
Your IP Address: 18.190.156.80
Your Email Address:
Required
Email Address Not Valid.
To Email Address:
Email Address Not Valid.
Required
Subject
Required
Personal Note:
Poem Title:
Poem
MY TREE Beside the Kinta River still it stands Colossus of the primal forest panoply The tree a native of the fecund land It’s limbs support the graceful arcing canopy Each arm like a single tree of temperate terre Forming structure a living city in the air Great parasol once shaded tiger or Utan Orang On its branches, like trunks of full grown English Elm Live plethora of life, symbiosis copious and strong Through time unmeasured, primary jungle realm ‘Til alluvial soil that nourished the roots an age Disclosed treasure dark dust, bringing riches, turned history’s page Then it witnessed the coming of men to a village then town Final graceful colonial, blessed with streets neat and pretty The tree’s neighbours now rich tin exchanges and banks abound In the settlement that would be called Bougainvilea City But with passing of time, came decline in the source of its wealth As tin lost its lustre, the city it’s fresh bloom and health Years on - destination Old Town fateful morning bright ‘Kedai Copi ’ drew tastebuds to flavour rich and rare * We crossed over the bridge with the tree broad and clear in our sight Then a column of smoke rising in the still morning air Warned of something amiss that would threaten the life of our friend Well loved arbour at risk now of tragic and untimely end Looking down from the bridge we perceived the source of the threat Some miscreant unknown had lit fire hard against the tree’s heel With wish to remove for ‘improvement’ - an urban plan set? To replace it with a soulless new edifice, concrete and steel Or maybe with shear carelessness of it’s likely destruction Either way destined for removal - inconvenient obstruction? The solution was simple but needed immediate action On river bank an old pipe was my tool to rescind Fire that threatened the bark that moves sap with life giving traction To drag back the fire, smother flames yet devouring this skin Within minutes the threat to an age of abundant green life Was reprieved for a time before facing more challenge and strife Bearing scars, it still stands with the grace of a veteran patrician Looking on little changed while all round life is set to alter ‘til it once more needs care of a passing part time physician We call blessings that it and dependants go on without falter So when I, time to time, pass that way, I muse as I see With a warm self satisfied thought : ‘That’s my tree!’ * Kedai Copi = Coffee Shop (Malay - no Fs)
CAPTCHA Preview
Type the characters you see in the picture
Required