Indurated
trees hardened as stone
once were supple and green
holding birds in their bows
this rock I now hold
earlier was
one
makes
me wonder
of all the processes it went through
O that
I could stand those pressures
of stresses from everyday living and fires
raising family loving spouse feeding us all
I'd surely falter along life's way
be burned
and
turned
into
stone myself
this all reminds me of Lot's poor wife*
trees hardened as stone
once were supple and green
holding birds in their bows
this rock I now hold
earlier was
one
makes
me wonder
of all the processes it went through
O that
I could stand those pressures
of stresses from everyday living and fires
raising family loving spouse feeding us all
I'd surely falter along life's way
be burned
and
turned
into
stone myself
this all reminds me of Lot's poor wife*
Poem Copyright © 2010 Jimmiehov
All Rights Reserved
Find more poems at One Single Impression
"Wings" as prompt was
suggested by Kuyerjudd at My Heart Up Close
"Wings" as prompt was
suggested by Kuyerjudd at My Heart Up Close
* Notes:
vb. n. Indurating.]
[1913 Webster]
fossils are indurated by exposure to the air.
[1913 Webster]
obdurate.
[1913 Webster]
Indurated \In"du*ra`ted\, a.
--Goldsmith.
[1913 Webster]
indurated - Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 :
48 Moby Thesaurus words for "indurated":
Philistine, backed, brazen, calcified, callous, calloused,
case-hardened, conscienceless, crusted, crusty, crystallized,
flinty, fossilized, granulated, hard, hardened, hardhearted,
heartless, hornified, impervious, incrusted, indurate, insensitive,
inured, lapidified, lost to shame, obdurate, ossified,
pachydermatous, petrified, proof against, reinforced, rigidified,
sclerotic, seared, set, shameless, solidified, steeled,
steeled against, steely, stiffened, stony, strengthened,
thick-skinned, toughened, unblushing, vitrified
Since when does everything I write have to be true or even be about me?
ReplyDeleteThat goes for the ones I write in first person or not. Just happens this one is.
One exception, if it's a meme poem it's generally true. :-)
..
Ah, the follow up write in the comments section was so illuminating! Now we know you are NOT party to the "induration" - phenomenon.. But that surely doesnt make your poetry on enduration any less spectacular! Neither that wonder, any less curious! :)
ReplyDeleteSuch trees are saving other people's life, helping them with new bones...
ReplyDeleteHi Jim;
ReplyDeleteWhen i looked at the dictionary of what indurated means, it says 'strengthened" and so that's how I interpreted the prompt.
There's similarity to what we wrote. I tried two again this time...but my second attempt is in Haiku form so it was so limited how it was expressed.
Anyways, I admire how you rendered the prompt here. Very good work Jim, as always!
Powerful words. Nicely done, as always.
ReplyDeleteI like the way you compare petrified trees as a metaphor to life. I have found pieces of these wonders while traveling out west. A marvel of antiquity for sure. Nicely done Jim.
ReplyDeleteThere's a danger in reading biography into everything a person writes. Not a good habit. Thanks for the insight into this one, Jim.
ReplyDeleteI thought of petrified trees and then the power and heft that becomes of these life-givers. A good thing? Not a good thing? I don't know. I'll have to check in with Lot's wife.
I loved your take on this prompt...so well done!
ReplyDeleteJim,
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean about writing...even when I am writing in the first person, it does not always mean I am that person or even know such a person...it is a Muse thing.
As for your prompt...I think many people are stronger than they may imagine and just not gone through a strong storm for the strength to be visible.
These days, all are strong to laugh, love and live.
The life of a stone, an endless curiosity.
ReplyDeleteI was thinking of this today - the difference between truth and fiction and degrees in between while writing. Interesting post! I like the way you turned trees to stone and...
ReplyDeleteAh,but Jim have a chance. You know the road ahead. Wonderful imagery.
ReplyDeleteMelanie
very nice- I know I could not withold the stresses you mentioned. Boy- I learned a new word this week...hear hear for vocabulary!
ReplyDeleteI like this, Jim.
ReplyDeleteMade me think! Hate it when that happens.
jim, have always enjoyed yr posts, this one especially so....
ReplyDelete