I can withstand
storms, sun & wind
Bare on my back
stirring old bones to creaking
But when you found me
& burrowed your teeth
& tunneled your body
deep into my guts & liver,
I turn red brown
suckered of sap & fruits
bitten black, scarred grey
feasted like honeycomb until I
tumble down, a king
whittled penniless by marauding bandits
Notes: When a tree is infested by pine beetles, the dead needles on the pine trees turn bright red. These beetles cause devastation by killing the pine trees and in the coming years, they are expected to wipe out over 80% of British Columbia's pine forest.
During our summer visit to BC last year, I was impressed with the architectural marvel of the Richmond Olympic Stadium. The wood ceiling is made of 1 million feet of salvaged pine beetle wood from forests of BC. The bitten wood panels made the ceiling unique & beautiful.
Grace @ Everyday Amazing
Richmond Olympic Stadium, BC
Posted for D'verse Poets Pub - Hosted by Bjorn - Happy Weekend ~
Ouch. I'm tempted to play with the meaning as metaphor, but the reality is harsh enough.
ReplyDeleteCan be used for metaphor but this is a woeful & tragic plight of pine trees in BC ~
Deleteyour right Susan..the reality is harsh enough...the into of all kinds of insects,predators into different ecosystems can cause devastation... great poem Grace and I didn't know they salvaged the wood for something....
ReplyDeleteThe wood can still be used though it is all bitten & scarred by too many insects ~ I guess it can also be applied to real life ~
Deletewow...beautiful pic of the architecture...sad on the trees being destroyed by the beetles...i wonder if it is a natural thing or if we have mucked again driving them to destroy the trees...
ReplyDeleteOne culprit is the warming winter but the beetles are unstoppable ~ Soon much of the forests will be gone without intervention ~
DeleteThe figures you share are frightening, Grace! Interesting to read this natural catastrophe from the perspective of the tree.
ReplyDeleteyes, the poor trees are no matched for this tiny hungry predators ~
DeleteGrace this was an interesting poem. I'm stunned at the extent to which the dammage is occurring. >KB
ReplyDeleteYes the whole industry is falling apart ~ Its a good thing they are finding good things to do with damaged wood ~
DeleteSo scary to hear.. The northern pine forests are so important....
ReplyDeleteYes, most of BC is forests and if this is lost, its a bleak future ~
Deletei didn't know that about the trees turning red. your poem made it sound sort of romantic somehow....but it really isn't.
ReplyDeleteNo the beetles sap the green color & nutrients, hence the trees turn red then grey later on ~
DeleteOh! I was at once taken aback by the set of events but of course, the explanation clears it all. Wonderful personification here. A well-thought factual write.
ReplyDelete-HA
Grace, this is both wonderful to read, and so informative. I knew about the pine beetle, but not that wood for the stadium was salvaged from the devastated trees. Way cool info!
ReplyDeleteTo see those wooden ceiling is a wonder ~ Thanks ~
DeleteLovely poem...trees/forests can be such fragile creatures.
ReplyDeleteStorms are no fun, too often. Great photos though!
ReplyDeleteI must wonder if somehow, some pesticide wrought by Dow or Monsanto managed to cull the beetles natural predator(s), leaving us this. There's a chilling sci-fi fantasy book called The Sheep Look Up, which displays the fruits of a dystopic ecological nightmare. Chilling, Grace ~
ReplyDeleteI will check the book M ~ Thanks ~
DeleteWonderfully stark, a perspective we rarely consider!
ReplyDeleteI hate what they do to the trees, and yet when we can salvage the wood we can restore some beauty. Nicely done.
ReplyDeleteBeautifully written, Grace. The devastation of our forests is simply heartwrenching. Peaceful eve to you ~Jason
ReplyDeletewe have the same problem over here in the black forest...and it is sad how the trees die... just a little beetle and causes so much destruction and the strongest tree can not withstand it...sad..
ReplyDeleteYes, the irony of nature ~ Thanks Claudia ~
DeleteBeautiful and informative... thanks for sharing Grace. Have a great weekend.
ReplyDeleteTrees and love, love it! Neato blog following!
ReplyDeletea king whittled down by marauding bandits is such a big and beautiful ending, especially with the perspective you add afterward about that wood ceiling. it's the sort of information that makes me eager for a second read. that sharp ending really focused the piece.
ReplyDeleteYou can be certain that man made global warming or interference is responsible for this.
ReplyDeleteScience is always so sure of itself except when it sll goes pear shaped e.g. the introduction of the cane toad into this country to destroy the cane beetle . Now it is destroying the natural habitat at an alarming rate as well and cannot be stopped.
lots of trees in Wyoming are feeling the pain too. I am not sure that it is this bug, but losing trees is always sad.
ReplyDeleteWow, never knew about the beetles, but it was more than likely a process started by man
ReplyDeleteFascinating information Grace. Thanks. And thanks for your beautiful poem too.
ReplyDeleteWonderful word choices Graces that sadly tell of destruction of nature by nature. Interesting point raised by grapeling...sounds a sensible theory.
ReplyDeleteAnna :o]
...without the process notes i wouldn't know the bandits were the beetles... for i'd rather thought 'about loggers who cut tress brutally for a price... but, then it could be both which i really like---versatile & rich(with the added facts).... &hey, hey, hey... you've got a perfect header up there, Grace.... i loved it! smiles...
ReplyDeleteI didn't know about this - so it's a learning above all. Liked the photographs as well.
ReplyDeleteI read the poem - then the background and re-read to be able to follow it. Loved the uniqueness and your words to describe it.
Thanks for sharing this...nature against nature? Insects can be so detrimental to trees and plants, let alone mans' neglect and carelessness...love what they did with the ceiling!
ReplyDeletereality is cruel. fine piece.
ReplyDeleteThis makes you think, pain and beauty, very nice
ReplyDeleteWhat a tragedy, Grace.
ReplyDeletetrees will always give us even when they are dying
ReplyDeleteGrace I have heard of this with the Pine trees and it is something we should
ReplyDeleteworry about..I have a fondness for the symbolism of the great pines and they
hold a place in the balance of nature.
This is a beautiful poem. I had never heard about the Pine Trees being destroyed by the beetles. I like that your poem had such a strong message in it. Thank you for showing us the Stadium made from the salvage wood. It's a blessing to know that the wood was used for something instead of wasted.
ReplyDeleteInteresting building and great they used that pinewood. I had a fitted kitchen put in some 20 years ago here in Spain. It had one solid pine beam over the hob. A few years later I could hear ticking noises whilst cooking and thought I was going crazy, until one day a wood beetle chewed his way out of the beam and looked at me as I stirred my sauce.
ReplyDeleteTigerbrite
That must have been quite a sight ~ I hope your solid pine beam is still intact ~ Thank you ~
DeleteWhat the devastating truth about the bittles...~ Happy Sunday~
ReplyDeleteWow. Of course, this works beautifully without your explanation (the king brought down, esp powerful image), but I had no idea of the devastation of pine beetles. That ceiling is gorgeous--proof that beauty can come of destruction. Is it worth the cost? Thank you for this: much to think about.
ReplyDeleteIt is so very sad to see trees infested by beetles slowly die. This can be read symbolically too, I think.
ReplyDeletetumble down, a king
ReplyDeletewhittled penniless by marauding bandits
...wow strong metaphor...love it and your poem! It's pretty cool that the bitten wood could be used as building material.
I always love to appreciate architecture! Nice blog following!
ReplyDeleteGreat writing and I was thrilled by the supplementary info too.
ReplyDeleteCiao
Pea
what a way to give a tree more life... nice
ReplyDeletethat is a sad plight indeed for the trees.. but glad they found a new life in that roof..
ReplyDeleteWow - so beautifully written. I thought it was a love poem, a bit of secret language there.
ReplyDeleteGreat verse for such a horrible thing. What a great use of the trees though. It's beautiful!! Have a beautiful weekend! As always, thank you for writing.
ReplyDeletewow. the images and footnote made this so much more relate-able-- the poem was dark and intriguing alone, but this gave me a whole other level of understanding. thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteOh my what damage can a simple bug do. I am also amazed at what architecture can do to salvage it.
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting my blog, this is my first visit to yours as well! Your subject here is near and dear to my heart. I grew up in north Florida (nothing like south of Orlando!) and lived in piney woods until I left home at seventeen. The beetles started attacking right as I was leaving. Going home, years later all the pines were gone. Hard wood trees had taken over. The landscape was so very different than that of my youth and left me stunned. Pine beetles can be stopped if the property owners get the diseased trees out quickly enough, but not many do. It was uplifting to see that at least the damaged wood left behind was put to a good use after, an artistic one at that! Thanks for sharing this! I'll come back for another visit soon...
ReplyDeleteBTW, i just finished reading a novel set in Canada, near Montreal, and my husband was born in Toronto! Though I've never been, I hope to some day soon... Also, thanks for your comments on my story. It is full of twists and turns and hopefully will be done by the end of this year.
ReplyDeletewe've had our own bark beetle outbreak here, and yes the wood is beautiful, as is "a king whittled penniless" -- brilliantly sad.
ReplyDelete