Poetry Visualized

Aspen trees

This is a poem by Richard Elloyan. Richard sings his poem usually without music, that's the way I like it done.

Ode to the Buckeye Tree

(Homostrophic)

The State of Ohio is full of trees when compared with my native land. Wow! I have to say we need to start planting more trees on the island not only on Arbour Day. Indigenous ones I would say. Hope it is not too late. Surely, the island could do with more trees. I’m absolutely amazed at the abundance of vegetation and fauna I see in this Yankee State. The buckeye tree took my fancy and having been told that it is the State tree of Ohio I saw this as an opportunity to write a landmark poem called, “Ode to the Buckeye Tree. Native Americans of Ohio called the nut from this tree “Hetuck” or “buck eye” for indeed it looks like an eye of a buck. I have bought a pair of buckeye earrings to wear, LOL!

Since February I have left behind,
The tropical shine to come to this place,
Where winter resting brings much peace of mind,
Just to feel the Arctic wind on my face.
In Cleveland Heights, and beyond Forest Hills
I see seasons change with bounteous thrills.

Winter wonderland before my window,
Trees thick with dormant lines of fertile strand
On grey trunks like towers fully aglow
In frozen wear in virgin snow they stand.
Delicately balancing flowing air
They bow; these evergreens and pines with flair.

The thawing earth brings dandelions out,
With spinning wheels of fluff above the ground,
Ring in the spring and buckeye blazing shout,
Amid the trees where many leaves abound;
Cardinals and jays perch, in bright array
Among the blooms they chirp and feed each day.

The lazy days of summer bring much fuss,
To back yard barbecues warm and cheery,
Beneath a smiling sky of blue caress
The "beautiful river" and Lake Erie
A picture perfect nature paints the scene
Fish dance while squirrels sneak fruits from the green.

On palmate leaves buckeye trees stand so grand,
Deciduously so in Ohio,
These fetid buckeyes stall throughout the land,
With mystic stories told with con brio.
Huskless nuts look like the eyes of a deer
Disagreeable in taste I did hear.

With quintuple petals fused at the base,
Their showy candle-like blooms light the way
For pollinating insects swift embrace
Late in April and throughout early May;
On the buckeye wood, light, soft, weak and white
Make crafty things, so eyes pop with delight.

Legends haunt the buckeye tree so we’ve got,
One nutty nut in the pocket brings luck,
Killing rheumatism right on the spot;
Where free leaves caught in ground-baked nuts were stuck;
And soapy buckeye tears cured cholera
During the mid nineteenth century era!

Sing Iroquois for the buckeye tree,
In Ohio Indians planted me.
Hetuck! Hetuck! Hetuck! Oh! I love thee,
There Brutus, the buckeye mascot we see
The emblem of the University,
And Ohio since nineteen fifty three!

Ode to the Hibiscus Bush

(Horatian Ode in Iambic Pentameter with ababcdecde Rhyme Scheme)

The tranquillity of valley hills,
Allows the mind to wander like the clouds,
Above the tree tops with their many thrills,
As nervous leaves rustle in mystic shrouds.
They shadow time each passing day anew,
And patiently wait for the rising sun,
To fill their chlorophyll sacs to the brim;
They thirst for summer rains and morning dew,
To spark their blooms before the day is done,
With Hawaiian pride that glows from each limb.

There are gardens ablaze with rainbow hue;
Around mansions tall and at cottage doors,
Bringing hope to the soul with every view,
These gems of nature, everyone adores
The blooms of hibiscus, across the land,
Are apparels of celestial light!
Heavenly bliss wrapped up in each flower;
Displays the glory of God’ master plan;
For we are never alone in His sight,
And each flower that opens shows His power.

It is not uncommon to see, intense
Malvaceae plants, just like rails on display,
As growing walls of glamorous defence!
The privacy of folks sustained each day,
From prying eyes, this veil of green and blooms,
Provokes no scorn but deep admiration;
Hibiscus fences do make good neighbours,
Their funnel shaped flowers craft grand costumes,
And do arouse an investigation,
Into their floral extract and colours.

Their calypso tones, you know very well;
With petals of exaggerated pride,
And self-confidence, does within them dwell;
For their Latin roots are not brushed aside,
So the scentless hibiscus, we respect
Their photosynthesizing in the light,
As growers do hybrid engineering,
So their shades and sizes become perfect,
With petals of culinary delight;
No wonder, folks find them mesmerising.

From Asia, and the Pacific islands,
Hibiscus bush! You have roamed from your home;
To Hawaii, the Caribbean lands,
And Whangaparaoa’s rich coastal loam,
There you blossom truly with little care,
To flaunt your deep green leaves, and lavish hues,
In sub-tropical breeze and torrid peeves;
Single or double petals, as you choose
From your many species, you wear with flair;
The ant cuddles up to your feet, and leaves.

Humming birds with branching turns, pirouette,
To catch pollen dust, from your golden-wand;
More alluring, and bright than a rosette,
And your therapeutic worth is so fond.
What leaf-fringed legend haunts about your bush,
Of heart disease, cholesterol and tea,
And how hibiscus takes fat from the tush
In China lands, and in the West Indies!
What glint of truth, is in any of these
Herbal cook ups, served from a potpourri?

Ode to the Magnolia Tree

This blooming tree grows on the front lawn of my sister’s home in Ohio. Its beauty caught my eyes so I had to write this poem. It is indeed a magnolia tree from all appearances and botanic behaviour. Right away I mused that a poem in the form of an ode would capture the beauty of this flowering magnolia. The magnolia has become the State Tree/Flower for Louisiana and the Mississippi. These trees grow magnificently amid weather peeves. Now you asked why the ode and not an epic poem on this State tree? I have weighed the pros and cons and for this composition the ode is more appropriate for this moment in time. The ode’s majestic and intricate form of lyrical verse have allowed me to portray my feelings, state of mind and perception towards nature’s awesome beauty in this tree the way no epic poem could do. The epic tells a story and depicts characters and actions and magnolia is not about a story but rather its heraldry of spring now that winter has retreated.

“Ode to the Magnolia Tree” takes on the characteristics of the Horatian ode. The Roman poet, Horace perfected this poetic form which consists of a series of uniform stanzas, complex in their metrical system and rhyme scheme. Horatian Odes are characteristically less elaborate and more restrained than Pindaric Odes.

The characteristics of the Horatian ode are found in the “Ode to the Magnolia Tree”. A close examination of its structure shows uniformity of its decimeter stanzas. The verses are written in Iambic Pentameter with a rhyme scheme ababcdecde. Please enjoy as we salute the coming of Spring.

Useful as support material for integrated lessons in classroom instruction as well as for pleasure reading for all audiences.

The written version of this poem can be found at http://www.poetrynest.blogspot.com

Rose

Roses come in many exquisite colors. I love roses. My adoration for them has prompted the creation of this Cinquain poem. I always tell students who are writing poetry for the first time, to start their poetic journey with the Cinquain. This simple form was developed by the American poet, Adelaide Crapsey. She based her Cinquain style on the Japanese Haiku. Her poems were published post humorously in 1915. She died at the age of thirty-five from tuberculosis. She left to the poetic world this lasting legacy, the Cinquain. It is made up of twenty-two words and is purely syllabic unrhymed lines, the building blocks for poets after her to carry her unique creation to higher heights of complexity.

The Adelaide Crapsey recipe for the Cinquain is simply this:

Line 1, two syllables
Line 2, four syllables
Line 3, six syllables
Line 4, eight syllables
Line 5, two syllables

It reaches a crescendo then drops back to the orginal lowness. Please enjoy.

Composed by Paterika Hengreaves
Read by Paterika Hengreaves

Eden A short film about Flowering Plants

A short film about Flowering Plants written as a haiku.
[Note:This the version 2.5 of 3.0]
For the classroom or for the home.
Enjoy.

Lyrics Soundtrack
http://safyreschool.com/Eden.html

http://www.the-school.org/
Little Films for a Big Planet.