Birds and Trees
A bird is stronger when it leaves the nest,
and so it goes with age. I am through with
crawling on the floor. A bird jumps to test
his feathers, finds that he can fly. And if
he loses his wings he'll still walk the rest
of the way. I'm ready to jump and see if
I have wings, primed to shed my cozy home.
It's time to stand and step off on my own.
A tree is weaker when it's just a sap,
and so it goes with age. Months and years bring
more than wrinkles and crutches, more than fat.
When a tree grows older by adding rings
it stands longer, taller, with a base that
cannot be broken. And I am growing
stronger. Despite my crippled walk I'm
still pressing on regardless of the time.
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Ottava Rima.
An Ottava Rima is an Italian poem or stanza form written in iambic pentameter lines rhyming
abababcc. Each stanza is an octave.
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-Ottava Rima-
Forms Main |
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