The lonely lady peruses the history of rainy summers shining through tree stump rings. She traces bark with gnarled fingers, tastes the snow of past winters, listens to whispered stories shelved for centuries in the library of knowledge stored in every tree, shrub and hedge. The forest shares its secrets, its treasures, and its warnings of a terrifying storm one day when leaves, twigs, branches, trunks will all be swept away.
Kim M. Russell, 8th November 2022
Image by Ksenia Yakovleva on Unsplash
For this Tuesday’s Poetics at the dVerse Poets Pub, Lill has reminded us of the Golden Raspberry Awards, first held in 1981 awarded to the perceived worst films of the year, the opposite of the Academy Awards.
Lill has given us a list of thirteen movies that have received the Golden Raspberry Award. She asks us to choose at least one title and include it, word for word, in our poems. I chose Shining Through (1982), The Lonely Lady (1983) and Swept Away (2002).
writing in north norfolk 
The imagery and mood here are superb…those gnarly fingers and a forest with secrets and treasures! So glad you posted today, Kim! Happy Tuesday!
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Thank you, Lill! Happy Tuesday!
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What a dark and wonderful poem Kim!
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Thanks Linda!
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This is deliciously dark and powerful writing, Kim! I especially like this part; “tastes the snow of past winters, listens to whispered stories shelved for centuries.” 😍😍
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Thank you, Sanaa! 🙂
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You’re most welcome 🥰
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enjoyed the imagery here.
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Cheers Rog!
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Love that opening stanza set-up, “peruses the history of rainy summers,” is really great. I was hooked.
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Thank you, Maria.
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A tad apocalyptic i think. Nice one.
Much💛love
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Thanks Gillena. Much love to you 🙂
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This is so captivating… each line, Kim! I especially love “tastes the snow of past winters”. I also felt the apocalyptic vibe.
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Thanks so much, Mish.
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The trees know.
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I was just about to write that–exactly those words.
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Ha ha!
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They do.
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So, Jane wrote (of course) what I was thinking, but it’s so true. The trees do know, we can trace history in their rings, and their roots whisper the future. I imagine your lonely lady tracing the bark–so evocative.
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🙂
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The trees have stood their ground for years and they can feel the shift in the seasons. I really enjoyed this poem. Mysterious much like nature.
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Thank you! I love The mysteries of nature.
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Richly dark and wonderfully engaging Kim. I liked the tingle it provided. Excellent my friend. 🙂✌🏼🕊❤️
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Thank you, Rob!
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Love this, Kim. She can read the forest and know what lies ahead… beautifully mysterious and foreboding.
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Thanks Punam.
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My pleasure.
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Love it, this stanza, in particular, is perfect:
‘She traces bark with gnarled fingers,
tastes the snow of past winters,
listens to whispered stories
shelved for centuries’
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Thank you!
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