a little spring poetree

~ jama

“Trees are poems that the earth writes upon the sky.” ~ Kahlil Gibran

It’s spring, it’s spring! At last, at last!

We must celebrate, of course.

The robins have returned from their winter vacations and our daffodils are showing off their cheery yellow bonnets. But to me the most dramatic part of the spring show is when the dogwoods bloom and the trees green up. One day, tiny little buds on bare branches, and the next, a rejuvenating leafy canopy. Somehow, this sudden transformation always takes me by surprise. No matter what kind of winter we’ve had, the leaves always come back, truly nature’s gift of hope.

“Dogwood Tree” by Peggy Davis.

Today I’m happy to share three poems from Allie Esiri’s anthology, A Poem for Every Spring Day (Macmillan Children’s Books, 2021). John Agard’s charming poem features a tree’s point of view, Larkin pauses to reflect on spring’s promise, and the way Nesbit whimsically personifies different tree species is sheer delight. They’re all a welcome balm after the cold, a good way to celebrate this season of growth and renewal.

*

“Happy Tree” by Mary Price (acrylic on canvas, 2020).
A DATE WITH SPRING
by John Agard

Got a date with spring
Got to look me best.
Of all the trees
I’ll be the smartest dressed.

Perfumed breeze
behind me ear.
Pollen accessories
all in place.

Raindrop moisturizer
for me face,
Sunlight tints
to spruce up the hair.

What’s the good of being a tree
if you can’t flaunt your beauty?

Winter, I was naked
Exposed as can be.
Me wardrobe took off
with the wind.

Life was a frosty slumber.
Now, spring here I come.
Can’t wait to slip in
to me little green number.

~ Copyright © 1983 by John Agard.

*

“Green Leaves in a Spring Forest” by Svetlana Lileeva (watercolor on paper).
THE TREES 
by Philip Larkin

The trees are coming into leaf
Like something almost being said;
The recent buds relax and spread,
Their greenness is a kind of grief.

Is it that they are born again
And we grow old? No, they die too.
Their yearly trick of looking new
Is written down in rings of grain.

Yet still the unresting castles thresh
In fullgrown thickness every May.
Last year is dead, they seem to say,
Begin afresh, afresh, afresh.

~ originally published in The Complete Poems of Philip Larkin (Faber and Faber, 2012).

*

“Silver Birch Copse” by Susan Entwistle (acrylic on canvas).
CHILD'S SONG IN SPRING
by Edith Nesbit

The silver birch is a dainty lady,
She wears a satin gown;
The elm tree makes the old churchyard shady,
She will not live in town.

The English oak is a sturdy fellow,
He gets his green coat late;
The willow is smart in a suit of yellow,
While brown the beech trees wait.

Such a gay green gown God gives the larches –
As green as He is good!
The hazels hold up their arms for arches,
When Spring rides through the wood.

The chestnut’s proud and the lilac’s pretty,
The poplar’s gentle and tall,
But the plane tree’s kind to the poor dull city –
I love him best of all!

(1895)

*

“Green Happy Tree” by Mary Price (acrylic on canvas).

Bring on the green! What do you like best about spring?

*

🌺 2024 NATIONAL POETRY MONTH KIDLITOSPHERE ROUNDUP 🌹

Once again, I’ll be rounding up bloggers who are doing special projects for NPM. If you’d like to be included, please email me with the following:

1. Brief description of your project + link to your blog

2. Any icons/buttons/graphics, if applicable.

Send to: readermail (at) jamakimrattigan (dot) com.

I’ll post this Roundup next Friday, March 29, 2024. Thanks!

*

Lovely and talented Rose Cappelli is hosting the Roundup at Imagine the Possibilities with poems about her birdie friends. Be sure to check out all the poetic goodness being served up around the blogosphere this week. Enjoy your weekend!

*Copyright © 2024 Jama Rattigan of Jama’s Alphabet Soup. All rights reserved.

40 thoughts on “a little spring poetree”

  2. Thank you for these lovely poems. The best part of spring for me is Easter with all those colorful eggs and plush Easter bunnies. I was actually born on Easter Sunday, so it is my favorite holiday! Then it’s downhill from there, because I have spring allergies and I am not a fan of hot and sticky summer. But I bear with it in anticipation of Autumn breezes! Enjoy your weekend.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. I hear you on not liking spring allergies and humid summer weather. I actually like Easter more than Christmas. Nice time of year, not as hectic, no gift buying stress, etc.

      Like

      Reply

  3. Trees are perfect poems. yes! Your lovely post reminds me of Kristine O’Connell George’s collection of tree poems OLD ELM SPEAKS. And Michelle Schaub’s new book LEAFY LANDMARKS. And WITNESS TREES by Ryan van Cleave. (We poets love trees, don’t we??!) xo

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. I’ll have to look for Old Elm Speaks and Witness Trees. I’d heard about Michelle’s new Leafy Landmarks book, which looks wonderful.

      Like

      Reply

  5. Jama, your bog post today brings the essence of springtime with its renewal patterns. I love the quote by one of my favorite poets that you opened with, plus the beautiful tree poetry and gorgeous pictures. Althought the chill is still on here, spring is in the air.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Yes, it’s definitely in the air. Temps often fluctuate quite a bit in April. Still, at least it hasn’t been as cold as it was in January.

      Like

      Reply

  6. Oh, I do love Mary Price’s ‘Happy Trees’, and all the rest, Jama. The poems are such a beautiful celebration of trees, each one shows the gratitude we all should have for them. I will remember “When Spring rides through the wood.” Our trees, after the big snow, are looking a bit fuzzy! : ) What do I like most? The color returning! Happy Spring to you!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  7. Wow! Jama the paintings you paired with the poetry are stunning! So much color and light! I am visiting family for a wedding and the trees treated me to a confetti shower of punch-hole sized blossoms slanting all around me. A perfect spring celebration! Thank you!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  9. Not sure if my comment went through before, but if not, here it is again…

    Thanks for this tree-mendous post, Jama! I wonder if Agard’s tree is on Timber?

    My favorite part of spring? The flowers! 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Am not familiar with Timber — I love the flowers too, but with the deer around here, all we can have are daffodils. No pretty spring bulbs.

      Like

      Reply

      1. Sorry for the confusion, Jama. I was making a silly joke about Agard finding his date (spring) on “Timber” (as opposed to Tinder). Bad joke, I know.

        Anyway, sorry the deer keep the spring bulbs away. I don’t get to see deer often, so seeing deer in spring (or anytime!) would be a treat. Happy Spring!

        Liked by 1 person

  11. You always make me laugh, Jama.  This time, “Me wardrobe took off with the wind.” got me. I also admire Larkin’s line: Their yearly trick of looking new/Is written down in rings of grain. Lastly, I feel the artists’ titles of “happy” for the tree artworks is understated!  They are zestful, fanciful, and exuberant! : ) Happy Spring!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. I hadn’t known about John Agard before reading this poem in the anthology. Definitely like his style and looking forward to reading more of his work. Glad you like the tree art — zestful for sure!

      Like

      Reply

  12. Oh, how I love those Happy Trees! And I’m with Nesbit — three cheers for the city trees, whether they be plane/sycamores or gingkoes!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  13. Jama, What a beautiful spring post! I love all the green, and that little John Agard poem with the “got to look me best” and all the other me lines is so cute! These lines are magical from the 1895 poem by Edith Nesbit “Such a gay green gown God gives the larches – / As green as He is good!”

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  14. Hi, Jama, for the first time in a long while! Nothing like a classic anthology–published in England, I’m guessing! And I guess also that the thrilling tree art doesn’t come from the book. Thanks for introducing me to Mary Price!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  15. Unfortunately, in our part of the world, the weather skips from winter directly to scorching hot summer of the desert. Spring is more like a dragon’s breath in between. Thank you for these spring poems – I am sure you must be looking forward to it (as much as I am dreading the turning of the weather here, lols!).

    Miss you much, dear Jama!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Hi Myra! Missed you too. Are you still jet setting around the world? :). I do like the in-between seasons best, so sorry to hear you don’t experience much of a spring in your neck of the woods. Summer is my least favorite season. . .

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  18. Jama: What a great trio. I had to look up “plane tree” as I have seen it several places and didn’t know… it’s a sycamore! Of course they are gorgeous, though here they are the latest to put out leaves. We think maybe this is the northern end of their territory. The poems give so many reasons for study. Thanks for that, and for the totally fantastic tree art. I will be thinking about this post for quite a while!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  19. Spring is bursting off the screen here! My favorite thing about spring is the promise of it. Spring is its own kind of new year, full of possibility and growth. ❤️

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

What do you think?

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.