Richard D Seal Poet Quatrain

A Carpenter's Lament

A Carpenter’s Lament

Oh wood, from sapling to a mighty oak
That earth would bring you to the fore
You fall unwilling to the woodman’s stroke
And then my hands submit you to the saw

Where once those soaring boughs reached to the sky
And creatures of the forest sought to rest
Lovers carved their names with passions’ sigh
The wind, a force, to put your strength to test

Caressed in hands, deftest with a tool
Your majesty is slowly stripped away
Into a chair, a table, seems so cruel
For our comfort that’s the price you pay

Though be the fashioned piece of great beauty
It be your former life, remains supreme to me

Richard D Seal.
Written 24 Dec 2013
For Nette Onclaud Contest
‘With These Hands’
Inspired by Visual 3

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Eileen Manassian June 12, 2024 at 12:34 PM Richard, loved reading this again. Hope all is well with you. Carpentry keeps the beauty of the tree. I'm returning a favour... second stanza, 3rd line, word before the last needs an apostrophe. You figure out where. ;)

Richard Lamoureux September 15, 2015 at 8:19 AM This is great Rich!

Skat A January 15, 2014 at 9:31 PM HI COKKIE MONSTER.... LMAO... , :) Congrats, with your 'WITH THESE HANDS' winning poem. Have a nice night ~SKAT~

Poet Destroyer A January 3, 2014 at 11:12 PM Hi Richard, , congratulations, in Nette's WITH THESE HANDS contest... LINDA

Nette Onclaud January 3, 2014 at 3:52 PM beautiful and sad with evocative lines, richard.. cheers to you for a win in my contest!.. huggs

Andrea Dietrich January 2, 2014 at 10:38 PM yes, it is so sad to see a once glorious tree be felled. Congrats to you. Your poem is so worthy of a win and Nette chose her winners very well.

Anne-Lise Andresen January 2, 2014 at 2:06 AM Contest: WITH THESE HANDS / / Sponsored by: Nette Onclaud is retreated!! - CONGRATULATIONS WITH YOUR YOUR BEAUTIFUL WINNING POEM, RICHARD. - oxox / / Anne-Lise :))))

Richard Lamoureux January 2, 2014 at 12:44 AM Nicely done Richard. How are you doing?

Dr.Ram Mehta January 2, 2014 at 12:36 AM Thanks for sharing this fine poem on "With these hands" and congrats on a fine win, Richard

Cherl Dunn December 29, 2013 at 3:41 PM Americans waste way to much when they can reuse things to save on resources without the trees our world and survual will be in major danger, this is a refreshing poem keep up writing these lines of truth. cheri

Poet Destroyer A December 27, 2013 at 4:50 PM Wow, Richard, Hope you had a wonderful Christmas with the family. Beautiful, immaculate and epic imagery! I'm blown away by this write, how life will come to the one who will always remain supreme. A carpenter's hands how intense. Every word comes out and pours perfectly. A masterpiece.... always a FAN.... LINDA Richard D Seal December 30, 2013 at 3:55 PM Hello my Sweet Dark Friend , how are you, Thank you once again for your generous comment here and always. Hoping Christmas brought you peace and happiness

Richard Lamoureux December 27, 2013 at 9:39 AM You have done well with this piece, I really enjoyed it. Richard D Seal December 30, 2013 at 3:42 PM Hi Rick, Thanks, when I was in Canada some years back, I was in awe at the forests there, fantastic

Abdulhafeez Oyewole December 25, 2013 at 10:00 AM A very well crafted poem my good friend. Good luck with this beautiful quill in the contest. Merry Christmas! Richard D Seal December 30, 2013 at 3:39 PM Thanks AO, nice to see you about again. Had a good Christmas thank you, hope you did too.

Eileen Manassian December 25, 2013 at 3:48 AM Richard, this is a beautiful poem. I absolutely LOVE IT! Carpenters have always fascinated me. It is such a privilege to work with wood and to fashion beauty. I love having wooden furniture in my home.....the rustic feel to it. You captured such beauty with this poem. Wonderful work about a wonderful profession. "I think that I shall never see...a poem lovely as a tree." Yes, their former form is dazzling, but I'm still longing for my poster wooden bed with chest of drawers promised me BEFORE marriage! Richard D Seal December 30, 2013 at 3:38 PM Most of my furniture is heavy wood, almost all of it handed down through the family, Victorian, dark but beautiful, luckily my home in England is a two hundred and fifty year old coaching inn, or was, so its suits well. Ah how many women have told me they still waiting for that four poster bed, erm , I mean as a carpenter I get asked about that a lot lol

Andrea Dietrich December 25, 2013 at 1:24 AM At first I thought this was gonna be about the Lord Jesus since it's Christmas Eve and he was a carpenter. But then I quickly realized WOW this is a stunning little poem about our wonderful trees and what we do to/with them. I really like how you showed the carpenter as honoring the tree that has been cut down for him to fashion into other things. Very unique!! Richard D Seal December 30, 2013 at 3:23 PM Hi Petal, I still get a tinge of sadness when I see a mature tree taken down, even though it's necessary and a great resource. Reminds of when my sister would take me to the woods, she drew intricate close ups of bark and leaves while I chased around and got lost in the bracken