poetry-22
by multiple poets, Winter 2023
Bare deciduous trees and evergreen trees. photo by John F. Williams
poetry-22
by multiple poets
Winter 2023
Dependable Green
by Ælfhild Astrædottir
Here is an audio version of the poem
Green is the call sign of summer
When chlorophyll works overtime
Gathering in wavelengths of reds and blues
Spinning those threads of sunshine,
Faithfully fueling the Plant Kingdom
(And dowager queen cyanobacteria besides)
From darling Mnium spinulosum moss
To gracefully sweeping hemlocks where they abide,
In summer the forests are painted with a thousand shades
Of vivacious, variegated, verdure
From sun touched madrone leaves
To shadowed webs of twinflower,
Then comes autumn the season of change
The deciduous leaves layoff their chlorophyll
Indulging in bright yellows and bold reds
Before they too are cast off and still,
Oh, but those stalwart evergreens
They hold tight to their chlorophyll yet
They weather autumn storms with their leaves intact
Sheltering their animal neighbors from the wet,
Then comes winter and the forests fill with skeletons
Tangled thickets of bare shrubs and barer trees
Ah, but the evergreens fill in their spaces
Vibrant life of red cedar and pacific rhodys,
When the deer are scrounging for tidbits
When the songbirds need a break from the cold
When the underground is limping by on reserves
Evergreen offerings are more precious than gold,
All winter the conifers tall and proud
Stand guard on our bluffs, our hills and our vales
A mosaic of malachite holding together our forests
Buffering all from the fiercest winter gales,
Then comes spring and the sweet sap rises
Buds unfurl tender leaves and pollen fills the air
And amidst all this new life and color
The valiant evergreens are still green and still there.
Evergreen?
by Al Gunby
A row of arborvitae flanks my drive,
though all were planted at the same time,
now show a varied height and shape
as deer have nibbled some,
a sculpting of their salad bar.
Their neighbor-cedars
towering above in lofty, green disdain,
look down as though to say,
“We evergreens are just the best.”
However, note my deer-munched plants
are evergreen as well…
just not revered enough to “make the cut”,
be featured in our evergreen Northwest.
Olympic National Forest, Sol Duc, WA. photo by Adelia Ritchie
Where the Woods Were
An ode to a lost forest by Adelia Ritchie
Where the woods were
a trillium bloomed
in the shade
of an ancient
cedar tree
snowberries peeked
through branches
stealing sunlight
from mosses
sword ferns unfurled
green wings
fanned out
from hairy backbones
tiny shrew families
dug earthworms
woodpeckers
and wood ducks
made nests
in knotholes
salamanders slithered
where deer hooves trod
raccoons played
and cougars roared
where the woods were.
Ælfhild Astrædottir, she/her and they/them pronouns, is a poet, scientist, and mariner, native to the Pacific Northwest. They have lived most of their life within walking distance of the sea, usually the Salish Sea, and thus have been shaped by the ecosystems woven through the magnificent Puget Sound fjord. Ælfhild studied environmental science and ecology at the Evergreen State College which gave her a scientific lens with which to examine the world from the tiniest lichens and mosses to the tallest conifers.
Al Gunby finds inspiration from the experiences of his youth and from the images that pop up every day. A retired nuclear/aerospace engineer, he keeps balance in his life by writing, singing, and acting. He has participated for many years in Poetry Corners and Ars Poetica and published Lady Hood, a poetic celebration of Hood Canal. He says, “poetry is the best thing going…and it’s low-cost and non-fattening.”
Adelia Ritchie grew up on a northern Virginia farm with horses, cattle, dogs, and her pet pig Porky, who ran the whole show. A long-time resident of the great Pacific Northwest, Adelia is a serial entrepreneur, scientist, educator, and artist, and currently works with educators and legislators to promote a deeper understanding of the science of climate change and its impacts on the complex ecological web of life.
Table of Contents, Issue #22, Winter 2023
Gardening With Native Evergreen Plants
by John Bolivar, Winter 2023 Snow on sword ferns. photo by John F. Williamsby John Bolivar Winter 2023The cold winter months here in the Pacific Northwest can be a lonely time — especially if some of your best friends are flowers. I start to miss my colorful...
Magic of Evergreens
by Sarah Ottino, Winter 2023 Landscape showing the contrast between evergreens and colored deciduous leaves. photo by Sarah Ottinoby Sarah Ottino Winter 2023For many, the term “evergreen” invokes images of fir-covered hills veiled in misty clouds or nostalgic...
Seeing Beyond the Trees
by Mary Johnson, Winter 2023 Evergreens in Newberry Hill Heritage Park, Silverdale, WA. photo by John F. Williamsby Mary Johnson Winter 2023Evergreen trees, particularly the Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) tree, dominate the botanical landscape on the western...
PLEASE HELP SUPPORT
SALISH MAGAZINE
DONATE
Salish Magazine contains no advertising and is free. Your donation is one big way you can help us inspire people with stories about things that they can see outdoors in our Salish Sea region.
We also don't advertise Salish Magazine, so please spread the word of this online resource to your friends and colleagues.
Thanks so much for your interest and your support.
We also don't advertise Salish Magazine, so please spread the word of this online resource to your friends and colleagues.
Thanks so much for your interest and your support.