Insurgent
In this season of the Covid-19 scourge, my front yard plum tree stands in singular and solitary bloom, reminding me of everything that is right in this world. This is the urgency of beauty declaring itself in nature through blossoms, equally expressed in humans through kindness that trumps the havoc caused by an unkind virus. In the thundering silence of my tree, unspoken sounds fill me with hope.
Insurgent
Bloom boom, bloom boom, boom bloom
thunders my gentle plum tree
unfettered by the virus scourge,
insurgent
Catwalking fashion-in-pink.
If you could see it bloom
Hear its resounding boom
It would touch you
Un-masked
Un-quarantined
Un-social distanced.
You would know something:
Beauty is urgent.
What is right in this world
Is unstoppable.
Bloom boom, bloom boom, boom bloom
© RWT 2020
“Everything is blooming most recklessly; if it were voices instead of colours, there would be an unbelievable shrieking into the heart of the night.”
Rainer Maria Rilke
A question to reflect on after reading this poem: What messages have you seen or heard nature speaking to you?
Robert, April 2020
Photo by Anders Jildén on Unsplash
2 Comments
Submit a Comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Recent Posts
The Music of Bees by Eileen Garvin
The Music of Bees, debut novel by Eileen Garvin, is a thoughtful, life-affirming story that invites the reader to consider the healing power of community. It is present day rural Oregon; a region dotted with fruit farms as well as other agricultural endeavors.
Films with a Common Theme: Difficulty in Close Relationships
The past week I happened to see three 2025 films that had in common the theme of pains and deficits in close relationships…
Mr. Kato Plays Family by Michiko Flašar
“Mr. Kato Plays Family” by Michiko Flašar is a quiet, sensitive novel that stays with you long after reading. Anyone expecting a loud, dramatic story will be surprised—for this book draws its strength from small moments, in the gaps of everyday life. At the center is Mr. Kato, a man who can be hired to play the role of a family member. He steps in where closeness is missing: as a temporary husband, father, or son. What initially seems like a bizarre idea quickly turns out to be a touching exploration of loneliness, longing, and the question of what family actually means.
It’s a wonderful poem that captures the exuberant insurgence of beauty in image and sound. Thank you!
Thanks Robert for the poem and for the beautiful soul that was able to express such vivid feelings. Yesterday I was caught by the beauty of a type of tree that is in bloom all around our neighborhood. On one street, the trees acted as long colorful archway calling us to be honored by its beauty as we passed through. I am also reminded by your words that by not observing or by not being present, I can walk around the same block quarantined and masked from the beauty that lurks around each corner.