That Old Chestnut
It’s still gnarly-bare,
no leaves yet
on that old chestnut tree.
It’s old.
It’s arbitrary.
Bang-bang out of order,
like a belligerent judge,
a rigid thought growing where
nothing near it is its equal.
There’s nothing symmetrical about it.
Hit by lightning years ago.
Blew sprinters and branches about
as if hit by God’s own fist.
But that tree’s dying.
Slowly.
Bleeding
from its sores and cankers,
and I watch its annual struggle
as if my own life depends on it.
Photo by Pascal Dihé on Unsplash. ©Misky 2022 Shared with #amwriting #apoemaday #trees on Twitter
It's Still Life 
11 responses to “15.02.22 That Old Chestnut”
When I’m an “old chestnut” I will look at my splinters and results of lightning strikes and see a life well lived.
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Awww. Such a sad end for such a stalwart old tree. Sounds like it deserves to be made a national treasure.
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I believe that the RHS is growing a root cutting from it because SE England has a huge problem with Chestnut Blight.
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Ah. I assume, in this context, RHS is not Right Hand Side but perhaps something more like Royal Horticultural Society?
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I bet the old girl will still be around long after you and I are pushing up the daisies! 😂
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I’d prefer something less weedy. Perhaps tulips. Or maybe cacti – discourage people jumpin’ on my bones. 😂
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🤣🤣 I’d settle for potatoes!
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Not sure I want tubers that close to my face…
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LOL
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I noted an ancient giant (oak) over on our northern treeline had dropped a couple of massive arms a few days back, which triggered a renewed and extended admiration for the cathedral in which I live.
Nice work, Misky.
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Thanks, Ron.
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