Enduring Oak...

While visiting a friend's place, I came across a majestic tree in their yard. I have no knowledge of trees, so I asked them which tree it was. It looked royal. It stood apart with an imperial presence. My friends told me that it was oak tree. And then they asked me to look closer. I didn't comprehend what they were pointing at. So I returned a blank look. Then, the owner clarified. The oak tree was split in the middle but was joining slowly. Due to some disease, the middle of the tree had died. But the stalks and the branches around it had survived and they were progressively encircling the dead midsection. I was amazed at the sight. I said to myself, "Life is choking death here." The phrase stayed with me. It was a classic example of survival of the fittest. And it was in keeping with the symbolism attached to Oak trees. They are epitomes of endurance. They are exemplars of continuity. I came home and wrote these lines:

Reeds encircle tree

True to the spirit of Oak

Choking death with life...

This is the picture of the oak tree in my friend's yard. Look closely at the split in the middle.

I dwelt some more time on these deciduous trees. And I read about the oracle at Dodona. Oak was associated with prophecy in Greek mythology. The oracle at Dodona was consulted by many warriors like Achilles and Odysseus as a guide to their future course of action. Another very interesting thing I found out about oak was that it was ink made from oak gall-nut which was used to write major works in Western history like Magna Carta and Mozart's music. Here are the lines I wrote based on these two discoveries:

Rustling prophecy

Dodonian Oak whispers to

Valiant Heroes

Seekers, Wanderers

Hearken to bronze resonance

Forward Tread in Faith

Lost in history

Bicentennial oak

Survives as Legend

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Larvae-laden leaf -

Did a wasp write history?

It's an Oak-bred wor(l)d

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Linking it to Day 2 of Write Tribe Festival of Words #5





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