One of the things I love about this time of year in the Northern Hemisphere is how the trees are returning to their broader life. I often wonder what it would be like to be a tree, how different life would be — rooted in one place and naked in the winter (or to have one unchanging outfit if you’re an evergreen).

The challenge this week is to write from the perspective of a tree. (See, for one example, Pauline’s triolet “Field Notes.“) This prompt is an exercise in observing details and in writing from a different point of view, which is a valuable ability for a poet! If pretending to be a tree seems too fanciful, you could write about trees from any point of view - the trees may be the subject of the poem or they may form the background of the poem. Allyson at Not Contained Between My Hat and My Boots recently shared a poem about a “Winter Storm.”

I’ve published several poems featuring trees in my poetry blogmag Bolts of Silk; you can read them here.

You can also find examples of poetry about trees at Spirit of Trees — Tree Poems and Trees Poetry. (The Trees Poetry site takes a while to load but it is gloriously illustrated, offering lots of visual inspiration.) It’s also worth visiting Festival of the Trees, a blog carnival that focuses on trees and sometimes includes poetry. (And was co-founded by Dave Bonta, a participant here at Read Write Poem.)

Idea for collaboration: Email a photo of your favourite tree(s) to a fellow participant for them to write a poem about.

Then come back next Monday after midnight (CST) to share your poetry! Look forward to seeing you all then.

~Juliet.

Note: Get Your Poem On #18 will be open and accepting links to you poems based on this prompt — or any other inspiration — next Sunday after midnight.)