Best Gnarled Poems
Gnarled tree rooted firm, fallen bark,
abundant earthen ground cradles.
Horned larks and thrushes beat their wings,
wavering within sun's gold rays.
Lace shade dance a hush call, seep by
a calm sigh and the incessant
babbling of an adjoining brook.
Delicious breeze, reviving kiss,
entice utter lull in veiled dream.
A world, a marriage joined as one,
desire of only pleasant warmth.
A muse of chill wind and aching
darkness that stirs snow fall with wings.
The old bare and brittle, gnarled limbs
gaze out towards humble night sky.
Categories:
gnarled, nature,
Form:
Free verse
In a forest grove, where shadows dance,
Stands a gnarled tree, a symbol of chance.
Its twisted branches reach towards the sky,
A source of inspiration, none can deny.
Through countless seasons, it stood the test,
Weathering storms, it never lost its zest.
With roots deep and strong, firmly it clings,
Teaching us lessons that inspiration brings.
From its gnarled form, stories unfold,
Whispering secrets, untold and bold.
Each twist and turn, a tale of resilience,
A reminder to find strength in our existence.
In a world of faith, a gnarled atheist stands,
Defying beliefs, questioning the divine's demands.
With a mind unyielding, and thoughts unbound,
They traverse the realm of reason, profound.
No prayers whispered, no gods to adore,
Their path is paved with skepticism and more.
Through logic's lens, they seek to explore,
The mysteries of life, its essence to restore.
But in the depths of their skeptical soul,
Lies a yearning for truth, an eternal goal.
They seek understanding, beyond what we see,
In the wonders of science, in knowledge set free.
In the depths of time, a soul so old,
A gnarled person, weathered and bold.
Lines etched deeply upon their face,
A map of wisdom, earned through grace.
Their hands, like branches, twisted and bent,
Each wrinkle a story, a life well spent.
With every step, a slow, steady gait,
A testament to battles fought, never too late.
Their eyes, like windows, weathered and wise,
Reflecting the world, its lows and its highs.
Through storms and sorrows, they've stood tall,
A beacon of strength, through it all.
Their voice, like whispers, gravelly and low,
Carries echoes of wisdom, of stories untold.
Each word, a nugget of truth and insight,
Guiding lost souls towards the light.
Categories:
gnarled, spiritual,
Form:
Rhyme
a large old gnarled bench
by a much older gnarled tree
where the old men sit to dream
of happy boyhoods
love was foremost in their minds
now keeping awake is hard
5-7-7-5-7-7
Categories:
gnarled, dream,
Form:
Choka
"People will forget what you said, forget what you did,
but will never forget how you made them feel."
~ Maya Angelou
I woke with twisted thoughts, coiling in my mind
like a trellised vine, weaving through my head
Gnarled bits of thread stitched me to my bed
and both my eyes were sewn shut til I was blind
I heard the sound of my notebook pages turning
by one whose mind was gnarled and full of hate
I could not see to stop him. I was much too late
to save my poetry. They'd been set afire, burning
A grizzled hand ripped the stitches from my eyes
A man with bony knees, bulbous nose, nubby toes,
said, "I am an ugly thorn, and you a beautiful rose."
He cursed at me with a snarl, "It's you I despise!"
Tears bled from the gnarly bloke. One fell on my cheek
I asked him to please free me from the tangled thread
He released me, and then I stood before him and said,
"When a rose needs protection, it's a thorn it will seek."
He stood to full height. The scorning frown disappeared
A smile curved his lips and he flexed each fingertip.
He shook my hand as if we'd just signed a partnership
His life had meaning, for he felt esteemed and revered
Categories:
gnarled, forgiveness,
Form:
Rhyme
Oh, worn and twisted, gnarled old tree-
such lovely art in you, I see.
Your huge limbs curve and intertwine
in rhythmic motion by design.
Your crooked, tortured, ragged stance
presents a vision to enhance
this sculptured beauty you amassed
by feat of nature, unsurpassed.
Rough-hewn, contorted, ragged, bent-
you stir an art of motion sent
to eyes that can appreciate
such balance from a tangled state.
You pull me in with outstretched arms
to love the beauty of your charms.
Though rocky, gnarled, and rugged be-
you are so beautiful to me.
Categories:
gnarled, beauty, tree, tribute,
Form:
Couplet
"Darkness may hide the trees and flowers from the eyes, but it cannot hide love from the soul." Rumi
gnarled, giant twisted roots
connect the family tree....
so much dysfunction
removed, rescued child
gnarled roots dangle hanging on....
before love showed way
an empty effect
deep within the soul that last....
until dawn cracked
a longing for love
which appears at first light one day....
Holy Spirit filled the soul
Categories:
gnarled, family,
Form:
Choka
A debauchery seed into an arid soil was the start of you.
Although your roots spread deep and wide in this uninspiring
patch of earth.
The growth of your trunk is stunted by a loveless life.
The sap of you is diseased with obsession and narcissism.
Your thorny branches are gnarled and grow many thorny gnarled branches
that bear small hard bitter fruit that falls to the ground and feeds the worms.
In your dotage years, the earth and the sun and the way things went
rotted you completely.
The memory of you is afflicting, yet heartening.
copyright 2017 Looking At The Light From The Bottom Of The Lake
Categories:
gnarled, metaphor,
Form:
Free verse
i see gnarled old trees
and remember scary films - -
a huge bear roars
for Charles’ No Contest contest
Categories:
gnarled, nature,
Form:
Haiku
ancient tree
gnarled branches twisting-
bird songs drift
______________________
April 28, 2018
Added after contest judged- May 2, 2018
________________________________
Poetry/haiku/gnarled branches
Copyright Protected, ID 1017-710-01
All Rights Reserved. Written Under Pseudonym.
Duplication Only With Permission.
Written for haiku contest,
sponsor Mick Talbot
First Place
Categories:
gnarled, nature,
Form:
Haiku
an old and gnarled tree....
sound of woodpecker pecking
sprinkling of wood dust
Categories:
gnarled, nature
Form:
Haiku
Standing in a woodlot
A boneyard of fallen timbers
Lifeless they are
Warming sun on earth
Thick with bush
Bulging buds spring forth
Where violets grow
A stream - flowing low
Scarcity of winter snow
Painful to the eyes
Stands of willows gnarled
An artist records
Categories:
gnarled, art, environment, nature,
Form:
Free verse
Strong sentinel on high
Beneath a mountain sky;
Called by name Bristlecone.
Twisted tree all alone
With green needles so dark
Life clings stoic and stark.
Worn wood with thin bark edge
Locked to a limestone ledge.
Thousands of years flowed past
‘Gainst snow and wind, a mast.
No sails with which to fly
You grew gnarled by-and-by.
Drought and quakes, you did face
Yet you held firm your place.
Despite all nature’s strife,
How do you cling to life?
Categories:
gnarled, endurance, life, nature, time,
Form:
Rhyme
Babies and young saplings are silky smooth,
adorned by curls and twirls, unfurled.
But age assails and weather beats brows
to dry, and wrinkles the smooth with furrows and lines.
Twists and contortions compels, yields, and compliances
reshapes the surface to bumpy, with knots and gnarls,
knurling a rough grip, to deny the slip
that smooth young skin and wills
are prone to show when asked to follow a lead.
The rough and worn acrimony of old age,
despite the crabby, cantankerous snarls,
can be gripped and convinced to comply and yield.
It is the gnarls of age that knurls the grip.
Categories:
gnarled, age,
Form:
Free verse
'pon gnarled bare oak limb
one silent mockingbird sits....
northward gaggle flies
Categories:
gnarled, bird, blessing, spring,
Form:
Haiku
The Gnarled Oak
Uselessness has virtues.
When you're cast aside,
Seen only askance;
There's no suffering from immodesty.
The tree grown lumpy and misshapen
Lives long and is never felled for planks.
That tree will live and love the sun,
Put out fresh leaves season on season.
Children will skip across its roots,
Lovers loll beneath its boughs.
It will shade the weary traveler
And comfort the old men.
The malice of disappointed carpenters
Will never touch its heart of wonder
Nor mar its content.
If you say this tree lacks virtue,
I'll say that you lack vision.
There is much more to be seen looking between things
Than by looking at them.
When you want to see me,
See my shadow.
If you want to hear me,
Consult my eyes.
If you would touch me,
Touch yourself.
Reflections sustain reality:
Dewdrops on a leaf
Try to understand; you will fail.
Accept, you shall gain.
If you run, you'll trip
But walk, you'll arrive.
Look for nothing; you shall find.
I know this is the understanding
Of the gnarled oak.
Categories:
gnarled, introspection, nature, philosophy, wisdom,
Form:
Free verse