Birch Trunk

The contour
  of an old silver 
birch is 
  broken by 
  a wood-
  pecker 
  cocking his red-
capped head
and hammering
    holes,
catkins rippling
in the wind,
insect bores,
    clinging 
    strands 
    of ivy,
bulbous 
  fissures,
thick bark, 
ledges 
  cushioned
  with moss 
  and lichen,
sprouting fungi.

Kim M. Russell, 1st April 2024

It’s Monday, Aril Fools Day and, at the dVerse Poets Pub, Lisa is hosting the Quadrille, our own poetic form of just 44 words (not counting the title), including one word provided by the host.

Lisa says, ‘as people, places, and things exist in three dimensions, six senses, and often beyond, the word she has chosen for today is ‘contour’. She has found a number of poems using this word and the first poem she found, ‘Confused’ by Joyce Carol Gibson, ‘just freakishly also happens to be a quadrille’! Other extracts and poems are ‘Dead Silhouette’ by Joe Strickland, ‘Water’s Lubricious Edges by Coral Bracho, translated by Forrest Gander, and ‘The Shapes of Leaves’ by Arthur Sze.

I’ve somehow produced a list shape quadrille!

54 thoughts on “Birch Trunk”

  2. Kim, you’ve imbued the willow with contoured character through its service as a living being and as part of an ecosystem that others depend on. Love what you do here and the shape is a fabulous bonus!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thank you, Truedessa. Yes, the photos are ones I took recently of the silver birch at the end of our garden, which is huge and very old. I can’t help touching her trunk and branches when I am outside.

      Like

      Reply

  11. I would love to hear a woodpecker hammering at a tree…closest I’ve come is a kingfisher trying to break open a shell on a mangrove. And never heard of catkins so had to look them up,..they would look lovely rippling in the wind. Beautiful words and photos.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

      1. Ah… my hometown was Gothenburg, and yes birchtrees are wonderful, especially a bit later when they have small leaves… preferrably with a carpet of wood-anomones in bloom underneath… but that is probably a month away still

        Liked by 1 person

  17. Kim, this is fabulous. The details in the imagery are wonderful….and for me, it’s a shape poem of that woodpecker tap tap tapping, then holding his head back for a moment, then tap tap tapping again! And love the photos too.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

Leave a comment

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