Today’s Daily Create WriteOut prompt is to find a plant that’s popped up through the cracks of pavement or rock. I have a favorite tree near Banks Lake that did just that– we’ve watched it grow— and die. Unfortunately drought, fire, and wind played a part in the life of this tree– which probably lived for over twenty years.– not long for a Ponderosa Pine. The oldest Ponderosa was 600 years old. We were saddened at this loss.
A Ponderosa Pine is identified easily because it’s long needles grow in threes.
I’ve written about this tree before, with more poetry and art, here: Day 572 Ponderosa Pine
Last year’s poem was better because I took on the voice of the pine tree:
Life Finds A Way
From the cone, released
Sheri Edwards
I fall, carried away
by a brisk breeze,
away from chipmunk,
down into the crevice
of black basalt,
snug inside as rain falls
I sprout, spiraling my root
along the crack
to the soil, stem streaming
to the light above,
I grow tall in the rock,
a seemingly unlikely spot, yet
life finds a way
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Poetry/Photography
Ponderosa Pine
Steamboat Rock State Park, WA
This year’s poem– thinking on the facts of the pine tree’s life:
Cracks in the Rock
From a cone,
the tiny seed falls
lightly on the wind,
close to its beginning
Into a tiny crack
in basalt below.From a seed,
roots sprout about
quickly in its home,
the sapling feeding
and seeking sun
growing daily:
life finds a way.Note:
Sheri Edwards
Within two months,
the tap root
will grow 20 inches
and eventually roots will
grow to six feet deep,
and may spread 150 feet.
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Poetry/Photography
Ponderosa Pine, also called Yellow Pine
Pinus ponderosa
Banks Lake, 2017
#clmooc #DS106 @ds106dc #tdc3931 #writeout
Because, I can’t resist:
Life will find a way
This post is part of the October WRITEOUT adventure of the National Writing Project and the National Park Service — a STEAM-powered Write Out 2022. Organized as a public invitation to get out and create, supported by a series of free online activities, Write Out invites educators, students, and families to explore national parks and other public spaces. The goal is to connect and learn through place-based writing and sharing. Learn more and sign up: https://writeout.nwp.org