Your branches no longer
rub against the gutter,
there is no friendly creak
in boisterous winds;
your limbs were amputated,
disintegrated
in the garden shredder.
You still stand strong,
birds sing among
shiny winter green leaves,
while you breathe
out your noble pepper aroma.
Kim M. Russell, 2017
My response to dVerse Poets Pub Quadrille: Creak
Grace is hosting the Quadrille, where the challenge is to write a poem or short prose of only 44 words with a chosen word. Today, our writing should contain the word CREAK. Grace says we can make it a noun or verb; create a Halloween mood with grating sounds (creaking stairs or floors); paint an emotional canvas (creaking heart); or make it funny with bones creaking.
writing in north norfolk 
beautiful
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Thank you. Maureen.
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Gosh. Graphic shredded amputation. I bet it dare not creak 😉
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It was done with care! 🙂
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Love how it still stands… I think pruning is sometimes needed. I would love that scent of those leaves.
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That’s my favourite thing about walking round our garden or in the woods – the different woody smells.
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I love bay trees. Sad that it doesn creak anymore but how wonderful that it still gifts its aroma to you.
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🙂
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My relationship with trees in our yard has been more adversarial than loving; kind of sad–have removed 5 trees in 25 years.
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Quite a few of our trees have been thinned down or have gone completely. I’m not sure if its less brutal if we do it with a saw rather than a storm ripping their limbs off.
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Oh I shuddered when I read that amputated section….but so glad to come round to a smile at the end…and LOVE the title! 🙂
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Thanks Lill!
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Love the undercurrent that the pruning creates behind the lines of this poem – and opening four lines are wonderful 🙂
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Thanks! 🙂
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Some pruning might help the tree, allowing air to flow between the branches better–and stop the creaking which might now be missed.
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Admiring how that tree is standing strong and giving out its pepper aroma ~ Love the use of sounds here:
there is no friendly creak
in boisterous winds;
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I used to complain about it squeaking on the gutter and I miss that too!
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Glad it was only trimmed and not felled, it shall creak another day.
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🙂
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Bay wood does smell good, doesn’t it? It’s hard to get rid of though. I’m sure you’ll hear it creak next autumn.
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I believe I will. In the meantime I sniff it whenever I walk up the path to the back gate!
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It makes a good blaze too.
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Love the POV on this, Kim!
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Thanks Jill!
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Maimed but still noble and standing tall.
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🙂
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I’ve never thought of pruning our trees as amputation. Now I’m feeling great remorse! Well written, by the way.
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Thank you, Bev.
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Tis sad it lost a limb, but can still stand tall in the wind.
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By spring it should l look a little less ragged. I miss the creaking though!
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Personification. Amputation. Adaptation. Great!
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Thanks Charley!
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Ah, love your take on this Kim. Sad but hopeful.
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Thank you, Maria!
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At first I feared it was to be a tree chopping story and so felt relief in the second half learning the tree is still standing tall. Creaking limbs can be a comfortable familiar sound…it’s unfortunate when the risk outweighs that.
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I’m very fond of that bay tree and have written several poems and a short story about it. But I also know that we should have kept it pruned. When the time came, the drastic cut was inevitable. I still had a tear in my eye.
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To prune or not to prune? Love the final aroma, described perfectly.
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That questions haunted us for such a long time. I trust that bay tree to flourish again.
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Amputation in the garden shredder. Sounds like Alfred Hitchcock. Beautiful macabre of the necessary purging.
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Thank you, Mary!
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I’m glad it was simply a pruning, and not that the entire tree had to be chopped down.
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Oh this is so beautiful! Nature is a great motivator. Standing tall even after amputation..we must seek inspiration 🙂
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Thank you!
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Clever title and a delightful read.
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The giving tree.
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Another moment of Great Spectacularness! 😎😎😎🥀🥀🥀
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Thank you, Dorna!
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Amputated limbs present such a graphic picture! Loved your take on the prompt
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Thank you kindly!
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I like how your words awaken the senses, especially the sense of smell. Pruned with great care and reverence!
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Thank you, Barry!
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Amazing but yet sad
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Thank you, Kaitlyn!
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*triple sigh*
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