image: Copyright-John Nixon
I stand stock still among the crooked trees
and wonder why they don’t grow straight and true
could their strange growth be blamed upon the breeze
or will a careful search reveal a clue?
The theories range from mundane to bizarre
poor soil perhaps is all that is to blame
although some think ’twas spacemen from afar
that caused these trees to grow looking so lame
The theory that I like perhaps the best
is that a lawyer’s corpse was buried there
and as his crooked soul lies there at rest
these trees to his likeness began to bear
But whether reason’s normal or insane
I love these weird old trees of Alticane
~~
Written for Friday Fictioneers, where our hostess, Rochelle Wisoff-Fields gives us a weekly photo prompt and then invites us to let our imaginations run free. The goal is to write 100 words. I have gone over that quota by a bit, but it’s a challenge to write form poetry and stick to a set word count (my apologies).
although the name Friday Fictioneers denotes fiction, the twisted trees of Alticane do actually exist. There are numerous theories about why they grow the way that they do, and my poem only highlights a few of them. I have not yet been to see these aspens, but I plan to soon, as they are not much more than a one hour drive from where I live. The picture reminded me strongly of pictures that I have seen of the Alticane trees, and I wonder if the picture was, in fact, taken there.
Quest for Whirled Peas 