The Tree (A Poem)

Hello dear readers, and welcome back to my blog! Today I wanted to share some fiction writing that I worked particularly hard on, and that I quite enjoy! But first, I wanted to give a small introduction.

This poem is titled, "The Tree", which mirrors the poem I drew inspiration from: "The Raven", by Edgar Allen Poe. I'm not the biggest fan of Poe's writing (much too dark for my tastes) but the poetic meter and rhyme scheme for "The Raven" was really interesting and very beautiful, and I wanted to try to replicate it with my own story. So I found a prompt online (I don't remember what it said, but it had something to do with a person stealing lights from a tree) and got to writing. It took me a couple weeks to write, which makes sense considering it's my longest poem I've ever written!

I hope you enjoy it and the message it holds. Once you finish reading, please feel free to share feedback in the comments! I'd love to hear what you liked and also ways I can improve. But with that, I present to you, "The Tree".

***

Oh how the meadow flowers bloom, when in the dying light of noon

The golden flames engulf the verdant blossoms of the lonely plain.
And when that fire fades so soon, the calming light of palest moon
Causes something else to bloom, bloom upon that grassy fane—
A chime of starry bells, I heard, effuming o'er that hallowed fane.
Never was I e'er the same.

Then, oh by what fortuned chance! I saw the flowers sway and dance,
Twirling to the chime of drifting stars over that lonely plain.
Were they locked within a trance? Some hallowed form of ghostly dance?
For radiant sparks of light were swirling, swirling o'er enchanted fane.
A dance of light over that fane, that dark and long-forgotten plain.
Each night the dance was ne'er the same.

Once they rose the sparks would race, with playful twirl and dancer's grace,
And form a flowing current kin to rivers tumbling over wane.
For in the center of that place there grew a tree of twisted face,
Where motes of light then ceased their roaming, roaming o'er the serene plain.
In branches wide they found a haven, safe within that secret place—
They found a home within that fane.

The grasses swirled around my feet. I awestruck walked where light did meet
A fate that found the soul of every secret uttered in this plane.
For where the branch and sky did meet, a golden glow alit each leaf;
Illumined as the secrets twirled, twirled among the haven main.
The beauty of the lights did cause my breath to catch— I was amazed
At secrets held within the fane.

The twisted branches spread out wide, a haven under starry sky,
A playground for the secrets as they danced under the spreading main.
A fuzzy light did dash aside to find a darkened place to hide
As more did follow, ever chasing, chasing as a children's game.
The simple beauty of their dance was ever cause to be amazed—
Yes, never was I e'er the same!

But as I watched the branchéd host, there came a certain tendriled ghost,
A shadow running silent o'er the grass upon that hallowed fane.
With careful steps it did approach, loathe to stir the dancing motes.
The drifting shadow muttered whispers, whispers holding darkened gain.
I knew the shadow held some evil purpose in its muttered sayings.
Oh, never was I e'er the same.

For in my beauty-loving mind, I thought that I might could descry
The whims of darkened phantom so intriguing as it walked the plain.
I slowly, so as not to pine the ghost as in a quickened time
Drew close to branching tree with something reminiscent of a cage,
I neared the tree that held a certain sense of something quite arcane.
Never was I e'er the same.

The closer I carefully walked toward the tree, I was quite shocked.
The ghost did bear resemblance to a form that I could easily name,
For mirrored in its darkling frock was my own body– oh, the shock
When seeing like a shadow your own self; it was a shadowed bane!
Oh, reflection of my deepest sorrows, yes, my deepest pain;
This shadowed beast, it was the same!

I did not know quite how to greet this shadow-self when we did meet,
But something passed between us like the breeze that danced over the fane.
She turned her shadowed head to see who dared disturb her reverie
Among the drifting lights that swirled, swirled among the haven main.
I wondered why this ghost possessed this dark and twisted metal cage.
Never was I e're the same.

With a glance that strangely seemed like she could see my inward being
The ghost reached up her tendriled hand towards a light within the haven
As her hand drew near the light, it filled with a sort of shadow blight,
A darkness that revealed the memory that hid within the fane.
One that spoke of sorrows like a shadowed cloud amidst the rain.
Never was I e're the same.

“You see this anguish in my soul, this need to rid this land in whole,
Of every tortured memory that serves to plague us every day.”
I was surprised at my own ghost, that in a lilting voice she spoke,
It sounded like a morning fog, piercéd by a sunrise ray.
I knew this specter was not evil, but was sorrowed in her way.
So then to her did I say,

“I see you hiding lights within your cage of iron, my darkling twin,
But stealing memories will not erase the impact to our ways.
What is it that sorrows you? What memory do you pursue?”
I reached my hand to touch her misty arm that held onto the cage.
“You can tell me, darkling twin. I promise by your side I'll stay.”
So she began to spin her tale.

“I woke here on a restless night, where rain did seek the trees to smite,
And all I knew was to find shelter, make it somewhere safe and hale.
I saw over a distant hill a branching tree that lights did fill–
A beacon that my wearied steps could walk toward over the plain.
But then, when I arrived to see the lights within, I was dismayed
To see the things those lights contained.

“Memories so dark and fierce, my wearied soul they did pierce.
I watched as beings across the world experienced their greatest pain.
And then among the lights so near, I saw something that caused a tear
To trickle like a river down my formless shadow of a face.
My own memories, reflected in alluring orb so pale.
I knew I was not safe and hale.”

As I heard her storied past, I slowly became more aghast,
For mirrored in her tale was my own journey to this hallowed fane.
But rather than the sorrowed nights that she did see within the lights
Somehow I saw a golden glow, a silver lining on every pain.
I saw how darkest days did grow the lights within the haven main.
I knew then what I was to say.

“My shadow twin, I see your pain. But though we may be split in twain,
I feel that we each bear a unique mindset on this tree of fate.
For though you see a darkened past, I see a hope that e'er shall last,
A reason not to steal these drifting lights away from haven main.”
I saw my darkling twin nod her head at me; she did not say,
But I knew she needed hope that day.

“These lights are like a guiding star, a map that takes us ever farther
Than we thought that we could ever go amidst the pounding rain.
It's the past that makes us who we are, and written on our every scar,
A story wrought in silver like a twisted tree of hallowed fate.
A story that can fuel our greatest hopes and dreams within this fane.
These lights, they are our greatest gain.”

I saw my words create a spark within the darkling shadow's heart,
A glow that seemed to fill her every misty tendril, shadowed fray.
“Can I have hope within the dark? Is there a light for shadowed hearts?”
Her words did bear the ache of someone pining for a hope that stayed.
I gave a gentle smile, for I did know the answer to her saying.
“Yes, my little shadow friend.”

And then, before the rising sun, we stepped together and became as one,
A single being knowing of the hope that rests within that fane,
For in the dark there must be light, in our sorrows we are bright,
Alight with hope of better futures, futures in a haven main.
Yes, we hope for the day when we can rest within the hallowed fane.
Never will we be the same.

***

And there you have it, my longest poem I've ever written! I hope you enjoyed it and that it gave you a glimpse into my fiction writing! Poetry is a fun pastime of mine, and I have a trove of little pieces that I'd love to share with y'all. Let me know in the comments if you'd like to see more poetry from me!

See you among the shelves,

Emma G. McKee

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