a photo of pine cones (public domain)‘Pollinator’: A Poem by T.M. Moore The Society May 3, 2025 Beauty, Poetry 4 Comments . Pollinator When swift spring breezes suddenly excitethe conifers out back, they really comealive in dips and bows and surges rightbefore my eyes. I watch to see if froma few of them, or even one, a cloudwill be released, all green and dense and fraughtwith life. It happens, and I laugh out loud.It’s always grander than I might have thought. The healthy trees have done their job. Now theywill start all over once again. They knowtheir place, their purpose, and their powers. They liveto pollinate, and send their gifts away,not knowing whether anything will growfrom what they lavishly and freely give. . . T. M. Moore is Principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He and his wife and editor, Susie, make their home in the Champlain Valley of Vermont. NOTE TO READERS: If you enjoyed this poem or other content, please consider making a donation to the Society of Classical Poets. The Society of Classical Poets does not endorse any views expressed in individual poems or commentary. ***Read Our Comments Policy Here*** 4 Responses jd May 3, 2025 Thank you for a lovely poem to begin a spring day with a positive message for its readers. Reply Cynthia L Erlandson May 3, 2025 This is a really well-wrought sonnet, T.M. Your description of what is happening shows close observation that leaves clear visual images with the reader. And your enjambment appropriately illustrates the continuous movement of the conifers in the breeze. The end is artfully done, giving a subtle allusion, perhaps, to the seed-planting metaphor in the gospels, yet trusting the reader to make the connection, resisting the temptation to turn the poem into a sermon by obtrusively explaining this. Reply Joseph S. Salemi May 3, 2025 I also like the expert enjambment, and how it suggests the movement of the conifers. The first seven lines are all enjambed, and so is the entire concluding sestet — what a great effect! Reply Mary Jane Myers May 3, 2025 Dear T.M.: Your sonnet is both beautiful and expertly crafted. In the octave, the narrator notices and describes conifers in springtime. The enjambment suggests the lovely lyrical movement of the trees as they “come alive in dips and bows and surges.” The trees release clouds of pollen “green and dense and fraught with life.” I’m reminded of Hopkins’s observations of nature: for example, “rose moles all in stipple” —that God’s grandeur “charges” nature, endows nature with life, with movement. We understand God through observing this movement. That is, we don’t notice simply a flat image of conifers, but we are most interested in the movement of the conifers. The sestet is a thoughtful reflection on the meaning of the pollinator phenomenon. The conifers “live to pollinate, not knowing whether anything will grow from what they lavishly and freely give.” The conifers convey a subtle spiritual reminder to us: we also are created by God to give freely to others. Sincerely, Mary Jane (Myers) Reply Leave a Reply Cancel ReplyYour email address will not be published.CommentName* Email* Website Δ This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
jd May 3, 2025 Thank you for a lovely poem to begin a spring day with a positive message for its readers. Reply
Cynthia L Erlandson May 3, 2025 This is a really well-wrought sonnet, T.M. Your description of what is happening shows close observation that leaves clear visual images with the reader. And your enjambment appropriately illustrates the continuous movement of the conifers in the breeze. The end is artfully done, giving a subtle allusion, perhaps, to the seed-planting metaphor in the gospels, yet trusting the reader to make the connection, resisting the temptation to turn the poem into a sermon by obtrusively explaining this. Reply
Joseph S. Salemi May 3, 2025 I also like the expert enjambment, and how it suggests the movement of the conifers. The first seven lines are all enjambed, and so is the entire concluding sestet — what a great effect! Reply
Mary Jane Myers May 3, 2025 Dear T.M.: Your sonnet is both beautiful and expertly crafted. In the octave, the narrator notices and describes conifers in springtime. The enjambment suggests the lovely lyrical movement of the trees as they “come alive in dips and bows and surges.” The trees release clouds of pollen “green and dense and fraught with life.” I’m reminded of Hopkins’s observations of nature: for example, “rose moles all in stipple” —that God’s grandeur “charges” nature, endows nature with life, with movement. We understand God through observing this movement. That is, we don’t notice simply a flat image of conifers, but we are most interested in the movement of the conifers. The sestet is a thoughtful reflection on the meaning of the pollinator phenomenon. The conifers “live to pollinate, not knowing whether anything will grow from what they lavishly and freely give.” The conifers convey a subtle spiritual reminder to us: we also are created by God to give freely to others. Sincerely, Mary Jane (Myers) Reply