"Two wrongs may not make a right but a thousand wrongs make a writer.”

Friday, March 12, 2010

Finding Truth in a Tree

She put her arms around it, listening
to the leaves shuffling their cards.
The bark was rough
like the bristle of her lover,
the resonance of his voice.
But she only smelled the rot of the wood—
the bowels of her longevity
and nothing more.
The tree was dying
and no longer spoke to her.



If you write a Flash 55 visit the G-Man to let him know. You'll get feedback from the most gracious host from coast to coast and from his followers as well.

Thanks to all of you who visit my blog. Even if you don't comment I feel you right . . . here, like Men who Stare at Goats.

22 comments:

Anonymous said...

Let me once again say, "Wow!"

You pack a powerful image in 55 words.

Alice Audrey said...

Oh, so sad. Love the "shuffling their cards" line.

Jemi Fraser said...

Nice! Trees are people too :)

Jingle said...

http://jingleyanqiu.wordpress.com/2010/03/12/55-when-i-turn-on-my-pc/

my first 55,
thank you for the attention!

Jingle said...

beautiful play,
you treat everything in the universe equal,
which is unique and cool!

Andrea Cremer said...

Your prose as always is beautiful. I particularly loved this piece because I have conversations with trees on a regular basis.

Unspoken said...

But she only smelled the rot of the wood—
the bowels of her longevity
and nothing more.

Love this!

Wine and Words said...

There was such a shift in the middle, from love alive, to something necrotic. Gave me a chill, but was written beautifully!

Ed & Jeanne said...

Sadly, everything in life is dying if that's ones perspective. Then again, everything in life is living too...

Monkey Man said...

I have my own love affair with trees. This 55 makes me sad, but I love it. I have a number of tree related posts - they inspire.

Brian Miller said...

oh, this was a tender 55 for me...great one though!

my 55 is up!

Yvonne Osborne said...

Hi Cat,
Once again, all I can say is thanks!

Alice,
Hello and welcome to my blog. Thank you for the comment.

Jemi,
They certainly are more alive than some people I know. Thank you.

Jingle,
You think so? Gosh thanks...I've never received a compliment like that.

Andrea,
Thank you so much. I'm glad I'm not the only one who does that. Trees never suck the life out of you or dampen your spirits, do they?

Amy,
Thank you. Just....thank you.

W & W,
Ahh, you caught that. Necrotic? Yes, I suppose you're right. Thank you!

VE,
Hi. Yes, of course that's true. How does it go.... the minute you're born, you start to die.
Thanks for commenting!

M&M
Hi there. Yes, I love trees too and they certainly do inspire. The first poem I ever memorized was about a tree.
"Under the spreading chestnut tree,
the village smithy stands..."

Thanks for stopping in.

Brian,
Thank you very much. I'm so pleased you liked it.

sarahjayne smythe said...

Wow. That is an incredible passage. It just slid right through me and made me feel.

Suzanne Casamento said...

Loved "shuffling their cards" - I heard that sound. Beautiful.

But sad...

Mike said...

Hmmm, could really be about a person if you wanted it to be! Very Cool!

inappropriatesue said...

WOW!!!! Just wow. What a wonderful way to describe the dying of a relationship. Sad but also beautiful! Great 55. Thanks for visiting mine :)

Buzzard said...

"I feel you right...here, like Men who Stare at Goats"

I had a comment but was left mesmerized by your depth of feeling in this statement. LOL

Tricia J. O'Brien said...

Gorgeous. I feel like I was there, too.

g-man said...

OMG!!!
Absolutely one of todays best so far..
Thank You so much for this touching story.
Excellent 55 Yvonne..
You Rock The Winter-Water Wonderland My Dear..
Please, Have a Kick Ass Week-End!
Galen

Yvonne Osborne said...

Sarahjayne,
Thank you. Comments like that fill me to bursting. Thank you.

Suzanne,
I thought that was an accurate way to describe the rustle without saying "rustle". Thanks!!

Otin,
Well...yes. Indeed. Thank you.

Susan,
Yes, dying...gone. Thanks for visiting and commenting!

Buzzard,
Ha! Aren't you funny . . .
mesmerized like a buzzard! See, I knew you were coming over. Have a great weekend!

Tricia,
Thank you very much. I always look for your comments.

Galen,
Holy Friday 55! I'm speechless. Thank you. I think I'm blabbering. I become idiotic under flattery.
You have a great weekend too.

Stacey J. Warner said...

good writing...glad i found you.

hope you stop by the respite sometime...

much love

Yvonne Osborne said...

Stacey,
Hi! I always love seeing a new face, but especially yours. Did you realize you've become my 50th follower? OMG I just did. Now if I were given to bestowing awards and prizes and all that jazz I would load you up with goodies. Alas, I'm just a poor writer and can only offer my sincere over-the-top-excited thanks. And, yes, I will certainly be paying your blog office a visit.

THANK YOU!