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Mighty Oak

Spread thy boughs, oh mighty oak,
__Let fall thy wine-red leaves,
Which, when the rains around thee soak,
__Shall pile up high as sheaves.

Some leaves are scorched in summer sun,
__Or lost in violent gale;
Some leaves don autumn’s raiment dun,
__Till they, too, finally fail:

For all descend and pile upon the mud
And nurture roots from which next spring will bud.

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Poet’s Note: Written about a 120+ year-old White Oak tree at my parents’ house where I grew up, six months before it was uprooted to its destruction by a tornado is southeastern TN.

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Tree

in honor of nine years of marriage to Bethany

Tree,
Long I’ve looked at thee,
O’er us tow’ring, shading, changeless,
Fixed thou seem to be.

Crowned;
Compound leaves of green
Spread like hands from branches taut in
Chlorophyllous sheen.

Fruit
Ripens; nut and seed
Thrive beneath their greenish husk with
Autumn’s timely feed.

Trunk,
Tow’ring girth of grey,
Thicker now, it strikes me, than it
Was in former days.

Beth,
Nine full years ago,
Previously sprouted love took
Root, and still it grows.

.

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Nathaniel Todd McKee lives in the Appalachian foothills of Southeastern Tennessee, where he is a Financial Manager. 

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14 Responses

  1. Cynthia Erlandson

    “Tree” is a lovely metaphor for your marriage, written in a very interesting and consistent metrical form. In “Mighty Oak”, I really love your last line: “And nurture roots from which next spring will bud.”

    Reply
  2. Paul A. Freeman

    You’ve done a fine job with both poems, Nathaniel.

    The voice in the first poem and the form in the second poem are notable.

    Thanks for the reads.

    Reply
  3. Gregory Ross

    I love your use of the growth of the tree as a metaphor for your love with Beth.

    Regarding “Mighty Oak” – my parents’ home in North Alabama is 150 years old, and on the property, there are 1 or 2 trees that are just as old as it. I’ve often thought about how much history those trees have witnessed. Anyway, both are great poems.

    Reply
    • Nathan McKee

      Thanks, Gregory, those trees are a real treasure to have on your parents’ property. I was just in the Huntsville area, Northern Alabama is a beautiful part of the country.

      Reply
  4. Roy Eugene Peterson

    Excellent takes on a subject that never grows old. The first poem brings a refreshing look at trees, while the second is such a wonderful metaphor.

    Reply
  5. David Hollywood

    Two lovely poems. I find the comfort in reading about the leaves creating foundations for the future, and consequently why we should in our own daily lives ensure we look after our natural surroundings as best as possible, whereas the analogy of the tree and your love for Bethany in the second strikes deeply into how strong and reliable the relationship is. Many thanks.

    Reply
    • Nathan McKee

      Thanks, David, very true, it’s so important to hang on to green, open spaces where we can feel at peace and be inspired.

      Reply
  7. Gary Borck

    I love the rhythm of “The Mighty Oak” in particular, Nathaniel, and the meter and description is excellent. I love trees, too, so the topic appealed to me as well.

    I’m sorry to hear about the fate of the White Oak tree at your parent’s house.

    Reply
    • C.B. Anderson

      It’s the ultimate fate of every tree, silly. The tree nourishes the forest, as always,

      Reply

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