Best Palm Tree Poems
A tall branchless trunk,
With lush, palmate sun-kissed leaves:
Tropical beauty.
Stiff pleated fronds in concert rise
to wax under the April sun
and trill their canticles begun
in verses jade that they comprise.
Chartreuse of thorny branches splay
a tumult to belie the grace
that on display they interlace
like rose stems on a breezeless day.
Atop the thatched denuded bole
gush fountains cast in cardamom,
an opalescent diadem
that glistens on the mossy knoll.
In thus exuberant array
do cloistered peacocks mime ballet.
1/20/18
palm trees standing tall
hammock swaying in the breeze
calm before the storm.
Palm trees and wind dance,
a breezy sensuous waltz;
They sway with the tide.
sitting in the shade of a palm tree
came here seeking for answers
from modern cities,I flee
to the bosom of my ancestors
up to the blue bed,rising my dusted eye
on the horizon to the west
to the shining sun where it lie
knights on horseback,rising dust
hunting for phantoms so thirsty
for life battles will last
want nothing less than victory
everything is passing by me so fast
sands tickling my face,whispering "hey"
wake up it is end of the day
My Love Is a Palm-Tree
Who’s she?
A palm-tree lofty head to which the morning sun
first pays homage
before it falls
on earthly faces;
Who’s she?
A palm-tree shapely bosom where overnight dew
into manna grows;
Who’s she?
Twain palm-tree open palms
grace-fully fanned
for a homely hug;
Who’s she?
A palm-tree whose sweetest freshest sap
quenches my sirocco thirst;
Who’s she?
A palm-tree to whose sight
I owe my seeing;
A palm-tree to whose parts
I owe my all.
Tozeur, January 2002
P A L M T R E E D E L I G H T
Written by Catherine Reinke
In your arms, I lay behold ,
gentle winds and sea salt kiss.
Shade full arms from hot sun bold
coco milk sweet, lovers dish.
My naked skin, sun loves to play
lying under this palm tree day.
Listen to your arms wind sound.
No gentler tender song I’ve found.
Tension, grief, sorrow and more,
all left behind seaside’s door.
For here life’s origins, beget and made
ancient past lives, memories to fade.
But here in Tulum, my friendship sea
I find myself, in gentle palm tree.
And so from youth my memory serves
a poem that retold again deserves.
“that only God can make a tree and
…poems are written by fools like me”
Truly then and true today
That Godly art create tree play.
For made he did a vast array
charming comfort of trees I say.
Strong steadfast oaks.
Wispy willows.
Lilac purples for ones pillow.
Cedar pillars ancient.
Rain forest lush,
only the palm tree
makes me bush.
Round coco breasts filled with milk.
Erect pillar penetrating fronds of silk.
So, in your arms I want to be
naked, contentment, happy and free.
And so end my tree poetic attempt
of my love affair palm tree spent.
We had fought and won
The internecine war;
The foreigners had demarcated
Their spoils on our land
But our spirit of struggle
Our thirst for freedom-
Kept burning within our hearts.
Our vow and determination
To recapture our terre
To tender our palm tree-
These, too, kept burning
With rage and vengeance!
Our thoughts no longer hazy
Our deeds no longer wavy-
But studied and firm
Our men advanced sure of foot.
Vengeance is ours-
And not the Lord’s!
For we know, liberated,
Even here
All manner of genius
May grow…
Turning pages of transformation
From centuries of silent mutation
To an eternity of unqualified progress.
Where the wheels of oppression
Have finally ground to a halt
There shall be found
The masses that struggle!
(Written for those dark times, happily, now past)
palm tree paradise
the roasted apple juiced pig
marks start of luau
Scents of burnt embers flowing over my windowsills
Charred are the palm tree fronds that
once fanned the breeze
Seized are the pods, timbers
Torches sparking shrills
Behold the ashes drifting
as they fall from my smoke-sooted skies
O but in b 'tween choking and tearing eyes
Bright orange-colored clouds shade
So fiercely they invade
If you look West…
The 'golden glow’ shall arrive
He who heeds the warning
and flits, may survive
A brush fire has lit the landscape
furiously waves its crimson cape
Tangerine smoke suspended in time
surrounds the hills all around me
congesting the natural scenery
Arousing anxiety, anticipating
the scale of the expansion its spreading
Swirling fire, twirling tornadoes
ravishing existence in its pathway
Flames so blinding that align the sunset
In my field of vision – I’ll never forget
Frightful yet surreal,
I hear myself whisper it’s not real
Nonchalantly, Winds sweep in firestorms
Notorious for its name the ‘Santa Anas’
Lingering, its breath; smoggy haze swarms
The brave battle the blaze, corral the flame
As the hills die, an obstinate inferno resurges
"To extinguish life" its aim
Like the Phoenix rising again and again,
but this isn't the Phoenix
it is something sinister
Guide us along the road to a safe place
Away from the drought,
O home, there is not a trace
Chaos turns on every cornerstone
I’m back where I started, I atone
Circling all areas, as others do —I do
With nowhere to flee vs warnings to eschew
Perhaps I’ll make it to the highway
with westbound caravans I’ll stay
There I’ll keep alive
If you just look to the West…
The ‘Orange glow’ (fire) has arrived!
THE PALM TREE
Sadly, my time on Earth is coming to an end
Where I’ve witnessed all human’s wonders and all their dirt;
Cried for the dying and rejoiced for every new birth,
Watched greed rule over what should have been shared
Strongly fought all winds and stood unimpaired.
Change your ways, there’s still time
Plant more trees for children to climb
Love each other, abolish all crime
Live your innocence like a nursery rhyme.
Talk face to face, don’t hide behind a screen
I can’t watch humanity turn into a machine
Share your stories, tell all that you’ve seen.
Roll the dime, risk your luck and play all cards
But don’t trust too much to let down all your guards!
See through, see beyond. No, never be fooled.
Enjoy life, dance and flirt
Scatter beauty everywhere, any time
Don’t get stuck to what should have been
Release that inside you which has been barred
Let the power within unfold
Let the truth inside you reveal the untold!
Because I've challenged winds and kept strong
and I know you can also do it all along!
10-02-2018
5TH PLACE
MINUANETTA - Poetry Contest
Gregory Barden's MINUANETTA Contest using rhyme scheme of AAAAA, BBBB, CCC, DD, E, ABCDE, at least 20 lines.
Theme is "CHREMAMORPHISM"
Song of The Palm Tree
The palm tree at the beach
Blossoms by enjoying the water
Supplied by the sea
Its wing - like fronds dances
To the rhythm of music
Played by the breeze
While it hopes to reach the sky
Friendship: Just Like a Palm Tree
By Izunna Okafor
From the crusts of lonely loams
It gently roots inner and outer
And softly pullulates harder and taller
To register its purpose to mankind.
Like the trunk, the bond glues harder
To the closely open hearts of soil
Who signed for mutual reciprocation.
Its oil heals internal and external wounds
Smoothens the rough path in the journey of life
And generally satisfies the ravenous and thirsty mind
Amidst love, sweetness and uncommon affableness.
It is a shelter
To those who faithfully embrace it
It is a protection
From both the seen and the unseen blitzes.
Though it might be swayed or troubled at times
The frond fans away fears, worries and anxieties
And breezes up pleasure and comfort
Drawing from the wind and coolness of the heavens above.
From its base to the apex
Valuable is every tranche thereof
Beholding its mutual and universal foredeal
Both in the long and the short runs.
Just like a palmtree
Friendship is fecund, impactful, virtuous and gainful
Though bad may fitfully come therefrom
That, the good utterly outweighs.
About the Poet:
Izunna Okafor is a bourgeoning novelist, poet, journalist, essayist, publicist, administrator and an Igbo Language Activist who hails from Ebenator in Nnewi South Local Government Area of Anambra State.
He writes both in Igbo and English Languages, and has published enormously in both.
Izunna, a graduate of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, has won over 20 literary awards, has four published books to his credit, in addition to hundreds of online publications, which cut across Journalism and Creative Writing.
a palm tree feeling
against white sand and ocean
soothes the hardest soul
Not fitting in her own clothes,
She was considered small.
Old as she was,
Her voice was loud and strong.
Big eyes and curly hair,
She disliked or maybe,
Never cared.
She hid behind lies,
Afraid to be found out,
That her life,
She began to doubt.
Small house,
A torn father,
A quiet mother,
And a sister,
Who had different ways.
No one to love,
Just herself,
With her sadness,
She pays.