After being inspired by the poetry from the
first session with Ms. Williams, we then sought to create some of our own. When
writing poetry about nature, there are a variety of directions you could go
with your ideas. Some choose to create a stunning visual with romantic
detailing of their encounters with nature by painting a picture of the scene in
the reader’s mind. You could also choose to turn natural objects or their
actions into symbols for more abstract ideas such as peace, happiness, change,
etc. Possibly, you could bend words so that the beauty and grace of nature is
used to advocate for conservation or heightened consciousness of our
environment. There are many ways you could incorporate the elements into
poetry, it’s just a matter of understanding the natural world and how it
balances with the human language, as well as your own perception. Here are a
few of our own poems:
Flow
By Larkin
B.
The wind burns my face leaving the tops of my
cheeks chafed.
Cloth covers my body allowing only two watery
eyes to show;
gazing up, I see the trees sway back and forth
greeting me.
The naked limbs of the tree allow the sun to
creep through and touch my face,
warming me against the bitter cold.
The sound of water racing down the stream
whispers in my ear,
trying to be louder than the screams of the
wind.
Answering the call I shuffle to the creek,
the mud grabs my foot pulling it deeper and
deeper into its murky depths.
Yanking my foot away I reach the water and
place my feet into the chilly stream;
I glance to my left and see a beaver dam has
succumbed to the untamable force of the water.
I let the river hold me and the flow of
the creek takes me away
Evergreen Trees
By Charlotte V.
Evergreen trees in the winter blue,
Give vibrant rays of color to the barren landscape.
They seem like summer balled up into bark, leaves, and
branches.
They are bright, colorful, and inspire happiness even on the
dreariest of days.
Their branches, they dance in the rain,
And grow in the mild sunlight,
Their needles perch lazily,
Bathing in the sun’s raw, pale light.
Their roots stretch far beneath the surface,
Twisting a tortuous path among themselves,
To get the water they desperately need into their veins.
Their trunks stand firm, even in the worst winter storms.
They are the glue that holds the branches, needles, and
roots together.
These components are what make the tree whole,
They are what makes the tree give life to the death of
winter.
While on my nature walk, I found a clump of evergreen trees.
I was shocked by how much vibrancy they brought to the dark and barren forest.
I began to think of each element of the tree and how it relates back to the
tree as a whole, which led to the lines referring to each individual element,
the branches, the needles, the roots, and the trunk. I used personification for
each element because I think of a tree being more alive, than dormant plants.
Untitled
By Lauren
K.
Flowers in her hair
Clouds in
her mind
Water in her
veins
Lava in her
head
Us in her
soul
Storms in
her heart
She is our
mother, Mother of the Earth
