The Lesson in Broken Branches
An uninterrupted moment of silence
The proverbial calmness
After the passing of a storm
Stygian clouds still lingering…
Threatening,
But quiet for now
Far in the distance as the eye sees
Brightness peeking through
Illumination hangs on the fringe of the darkness
But,
Seemingly out of reach
To those
Out of touch
A visionary vision of sorts
Light emerging from darkness…
As if one could contain the other
Imaginative
Bordering on whimsical delirium
A collection
Thoughts unanimously unfinished
Of what could or could not be
While the escalating clouds remain steadfast
Demonstrating their resolve
Bounding to and fro with the prevailing winds
Yet refusing to dissipate
And allow the light to intervene
Down below,
Broken branches litter the landscape
A collection of shapes and sizes representing…
Old and young
Their tale revealed
In a short-lived narrative
With an unexpected ending,
When storms came calling
Proudly they stiffened in the wind
In a show of strength
Confrontational,
Bordering on demonstrative refusal
To bend to a higher power
Their weakness exploited
Hubris
Presumptive expectations of their physicality
Against that which has more might
Splintered reminders…
Lasting scars
Growth sacrificed
For nothing
Only the wisdom
That the strong do not always survive unscathed
Unless they understand
The magnitude
Of the coming storm
- When We Lost Control - October 13, 2025
- The Crumbling Space Around Me - October 10, 2025
- Sorrow - October 9, 2025
Excellent phrasing, Ralph. A powerful message with deep meaning. Well done on this great piece.
Yes, some great unique phrasing and imagery Ralph. So well penned and eloquently delivered verse. Cheers!
Awesome piece my friend….
This is a wonderful piece of poetry, Ralph. I am a lover of nature, trees..and storms in fact. You describe it all so we’ll hear. Large established trees are seen as a simbol of power but even they cannot always withstand the ravages of a powerful storm. Some trees however develop a way of combatting these opposing forces of nature and grow with a lean towards the direction that the fiercest winds usually come from thus being less likely to snap or be uprooted.
Incredible verse! One could almost feel the strong resistance of the trees to the storm! Lessons to be learned that no matter how strong we are, we cannot be unscathed when faced with the magnitude of a storm.