Rooted in Stone, a poem

Or, at least my attempt at a poem...

I collect Yamadori in the Rocky Mountains of Wyoming, and this is a story I came up with, in poem form, to try and express a few of my thoughts.

You can read this poem and other stories on my blog listed in my tag below.



Rooted In Stone


Old,
old am I.
Seated up high,
high on this cliff.
I’ve seen much,
much more than you know.
Secrets I hold, secrets to keep.

Beaten and torn,
ravaged by time,
my body does show,
wounds of long life.
Of life and death,
my soul does know,
for year after year,
parts of me die, yet other parts grow.
Fire and Ice, have left their mark,
yet sun and rain, have given me life.

Friends I have known, though few they have been:
The eagles fly by, or nest below.
Newborns each year, learn to fly.
Once before, an Indian boy,
would sit alone, carving his stone.
I’ve watched the elk rut, and lions on hunt.
Yet few have seen, few even know,
that I am up here, rooted in stone.

Far below,
my brother fell.
To root in the earth,
instead of stone.
Much taller is he,
but stronger am I.
Twins by birth, we grew.
He grew much faster, faster than I.
But he is now gone, his skeleton left.
I will live on, just as I have.
Atop this great cliff,
Stout and stiff.

On grassy knoll,
The mighty oak grows,
strong and proud,
his size is immense.
But his life is still short,
much shorter than mine.

At river’s edge,
the maple may grow,
elegant and light,
she’s pleasing in sight.
Color and grace, beauty in full.
Though her life is still short,
much shorter than mine.
I’ve seen them come,
I’ve seen them go,
for I grow slow, slower than slow.

I’ll tell you one secret,
only just one:
of how it can be,
how one so small
mountains may move.
It takes but time,
persistence and time.
Long ago, my seed fell here.
In this small crack, a crack in stone.
Here my roots grew, here they clung.
To this stone, my roots did hold.
And through this stone, my roots have spread.
Bit by bit, this mountain has moved,
pushed by roots, so small and soft.
It takes but time,
persistence and time.

Few have known, few have seen,
this very old soul, rooted in stone.
Until one day,
a rugged young man,
least young to me,
Strong and weary,
did climb my cliff.
To sit nearby,
and study my life.
He looked for my soul,
then he did smile.
Few before, could see this soul.
None saw my story, my story of life,
but this man could see, could see my soul.
His grip was strong,
yet his touch was light.
Wisdom and care,
guided his hands,
as he gathered my roots,
encased in stone.
He carried me down,
down this mountain,
to a town and a home,
a home full of life, children and wife.
There he waited,
patiently waited,
for me to grow, and grow I did.
When I was strong,
another man came,
less rugged, yet joyful and wise.
An Artisan, this man searched inside.
Inside my soul, he saw what he could.
Shaping my crown,
with vision and care,
to highlight the best,
the best of a life lived long in stone.

From there I moved on,
my roots now in clay that is fired and strong.
I have a new place, a place of honor.
Some people come, peering at me.
Admiring my form, searching my soul.

Time to time,
on special occasion,
I sit on a stand,
Shown in great glory,
for many to see.
Honor and reverence,
this soul does feel.
For many now look,
who could not before.

Friends I have now,
more friends than before.
Some for my looks,
a few for my soul.
Some do listen,
some will not,
for the secrets I keep,
the secrets I hold.
Though many may look,
still few can see,
this very old soul.
The soul of a tree.

Do I miss, you may ask,
my life on a cliff, the view I once had?
One thing I know, one thing to share:
Be content, for there lies peace,
peace to make, a life complete.
Friends may come,
friends will go,
Some shallow, some less so.
Be friend to all,
then you will see,
then you will know,
this secret, this secret of mine.

One thousand Years,
long years on a cliff.
I’ve seen many things,
many changes I’ve felt.
I’ve seen Nations come, I’ve seen them go.
Yet as they pass by, new friends I have made.
A family I have,
I am now loved,
loved by many,
who come to see,
to see an old soul.
My soul has not changed, only my seat.
Now I sit here, peaceful and calm,
this place of honor, to call my home.
Here’s to one thousand,
one thousand more,
years of this life,
The life of a tree.

Once shaped by nature,
both cruel and harsh.
Now shaped by hands,
hands of an artist.
Long have I lived,
and longer I’ll live.
Passed along, from one life to next,
by more than one man,
more than one artist.
A legacy I’ll leave,
of patience and time.
Once rooted in stone,
now rooted in culture.
Teaching of life,
long lasting life.
Come and see,
come to know,
this soul I’ve been given,
The soul of a tree.


Thanks for reading.

Blessings,
Dan

© Dan Wiederrecht 2014


(This story is not based on any one tree in particular, but inspired by the many trees I see in the mountains. My friend and business/collecting partner, and my teacher provided some inspiration for the human characters.)

Bravo! Touched me to my soul. Thank you.

Artsy, Thoughtful, Pertinent, Inspiring, Impressive, Enjoyable and more...

having had a few pieces published, i enjoy a good verse as long as it is based in a graspable reality and not self indulgent, masturbatory ramblings, understandable only to the author and appreciated only by pseudo intellectuals... yours was none of that.

i think you put your feelings about your passion "on the page" in a way that even non-bonsai enthusiasts can appreciate.

at a glance i was surprised at the length of your piece but then i started reading and kept on reading until the end and i enjoyed it.

perhaps you could submit it to one of the bonsai journals... ?

Kev, Andre won't be the only one looking up a new word haha!

Dan,
"Friends I have now,
more friends than before.
Some for my looks,
a few for my soul.
Some do listen,
some will not,
for the secrets I keep,
the secrets I hold.
Though many may look,
still few can see,
this very old soul.
The soul of a tree. "

That really struck me as possibly being at the heart of bonsai (and transcending it).
Regards

Precarious wrote:Kev, Andre won't be the only one looking up a new word haha!

dave... not sure what you mean...

Thanks guys! I'm glad you've all enjoyed it.

I did mention this poem to one of the "Journals." I'll see what they think. I do have something else being published in the ABS Journal soon though!

Thought it was a 'Kev word', but no, it's in the dictionary. Not masturbational like educational or gestational, but masturbatory like concilliatory or contributory. -Sigh-Only in the King's English(Americatorial).

Hey Dan - thanks for putting these heartfelt words out where others can share them. Nicely done.



From a fellow tree lover.

Thanks Arthur!

Sorry but that is a lame excuse for your earth scourers rapping the dignity of some of the oldest living things on earth.  By your measure, the tigers in San Diego's Zoo are so happy that more than 3.2 millions people drop by to look on them every year.  Go to Japan and try to find any hundred years old shimpaku still up in the mountains.  Millions collected trees there, how many end up in the hand of real artists?  The sad reality is one out of thousands can make it though a hundred years as a bonsai in Japan.  For the rest of the world, a handful of guys have the understand the concept of time and respect of the trees to be the real bonsai artists.  Whole bunch of others run amuck up and down mountains try to collect a "trophy" so they can beat their chests and proclaim as artists while completely don't understand the concept of what is bonsai or art.  Bonsai - it's all about the trees, not the artists; if it's all about the trees, then respect them.

Van.

Thank you for sharing your opinion Van. It is very sad when people don't collect responsibly or respectfully.

i just came up with one:

van attacks dan...
dan's reply to van
shows he's a better man
than the man that van am

(and a better man than i, considering how i would have replied)

Lol! Thanks for that Kevin

beer city snake wrote:i just came up with one:

van attacks dan...
dan's reply to van
shows he's a better man
than the man that van am

(and a better man than i, considering how i would have replied)

Hey Kelvin,
I don't come on this site to attack anybody, only the yes sir men are always go with flow no matter what and dare not to speak up your oppinions other wise, those are the life of little mice. I express my point of views and Dan simply thanks me for that, and i just leave it at that. The last thing I want is some guys read the poem and have an itch to be bonsai artists, run up the mountain and remove some thousand years old trees, respect nature and and save something for my children and grand children will you?

Van

Enough already, as you guys over there say. Apparently.

Don't make Momma have to come over there now.

Van wrote:

beer city snake wrote:i just came up with one:

van attacks dan...
dan's reply to van
shows he's a better man
than the man that van am

(and a better man than i, considering how i would have replied)

Hey Kelvin,
I don't come on this site to attack anybody, only the yes sir men are always go with flow no matter what and dare not to speak up your oppinions other wise, those are the life of little mice.  I express my point of views and Dan simply thanks me for that, and i just leave it at that.  The last thing I want is some guys read the poem and have an itch to be bonsai artists, run up the mountain and remove some thousand years old trees, respect nature and and save something for my children and grand children will you?

Van

i doubt that a poem would inspire any "earth scourers rapping (sic) the dignity of some of the oldest living things on earth."
other things might, but not a poem... (then again, it did inspire you to lash out, so...)

and then to make this statement: "By your measure, the tigers in San Diego's Zoo are so happy that more than 3.2 millions people drop by to look on them every year."

that was really an extreme response to the poem...

i have seen plenty of threads on the forum that would fully justify that type of response...
it just didnt belong on this thread...
sorry fiona, but i seem to be incapable of sitting back and shutting up

as an aside, van - i support your stance because i do have 2 grandsons, and i am very concerned about what will be left for them...
especially in light of this:
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/the-fate-of-trees-how-climate-change-may-alter-forests-worldwide-20150312

peace

fiona wrote:Enough already, as you guys over there say. Apparently.

Don't make Momma have to come over there now.  

 

Hi Momma fiona,
It's ironic my first post ever on this board was in defense of Kelvin because I felt it was unjust. I come on this site to learn and will appreciate a lot more if someone can point out the flaws in my trees or my oppinions, it will make me a better person and my bonsais also will be better. I don't come on here to gloat but to learn and I think the main purpose this board was created so. I tend not to go with flow but contradict in hope we all can see both side of the stories. Thanks fiona.

Van

Kelvin,
I win nothing out of this argument, so this is the last post for me about this.  It makes me mad when I saw some of the videos on Youtube, some of the most ancient trees collected by someone claims as the greatest yamadori collector in the world then turn them into moneytary value, just like we used to treat the giant redwoods and sequoias that they had to turn to lumber in order to fulfill their purpose in life.  Sorry that you can not find the corellation between the tigers and the collected trees.  My nature is not to be mean to anybody but brutal honest, i have tendency to speak my mind the way i see it without sugar coatinng, it may sound hash but its all honesty; after all, we are all grown men aren't we?  As a country, America always tries to be nice and often lead to self false aldulations.  We paid Simon Cowe (a Brit) millions to be honest and harsh because we afraid to speak our mind, American Idols is no longer the same without Simon Cowe.  I respect you pointing out the reasons so we can agree/disagree about this, and it is what is is, an honest discussion.  Thanks.

Van

vaaaaaaaaaaaaan !!!

i TOTALLY agree with you...
especially about not always playing nicey-nice and "always wear a happy face" (quoting the dead kennedys)

my only point was that this did not seem to be the thread to drag out the old soap-box and climb up on it...

if you were looking for a thread to vent on, there are many many many about collecting and any one of them would have been better than this one... and as of now, i believe THAT is the only thing we disagree on...

so with that being said, are we cool ?

beer city snake wrote:vaaaaaaaaaaaaan !!!

i TOTALLY agree with you...
especially about not always playing nicey-nice and "always wear a happy face" (quoting the dead kennedys)

my only point was that this did not seem to be the thread to drag out the old soap-box and climb up on it...

if you were looking for a thread to vent on, there are many many many about collecting and any one of them would have been better than this one... and as of now, i believe THAT is the only thing we disagree on...

so with that being said, are we cool ?

Kelvin,
We are always cool, before any of this because we are bonsai lovers. I love the first part of the poem, but the part about removing the ancient tree bothered me quite a bit. I am new to this board and did not have a chance to read some of the mean posts, generally people on here are nice or at least try to be nice and be civilized. But that not what i truly really wanted, i want somebody tear me apart in the most honest ways, i do hope to learn something on this board and i honestly think i can't grow my knowledge with accolations and adulations. In light of this, i hope anybody stumble upon this think twice before remove any of our national treasures high up in the mountains.

It's ironic, the first post i ever post on this board, because i thought somebody was mean to you. Thanks,

Van

appreciated 2x

HeHe....kelvin...hehehe...

It's always a good thread when someone quotes the Dead Kennedys...

LanceMac10 wrote:HeHe....kelvin...hehehe...

hey mom !!!

lookit me - i'm 1⁄273.16 of the thermodynamic temperature of the triple point of water !!!

yay for me !!!