Whittles and Wood Poetry Prompt: Growth Rings

A cross-section cut through the trunk of a tree reveals its rings. Each visible ring marks the passage of a year, and tells us a little bit about what kind of year it was. The scientific practice of tree-dating is called Dendrochronology. Areas of application include paleoecology (study of past climates and ecologies); archaeology, in which it’s used to date buildings and old art panel paintings; and in radiocarbon dating. Growth rings are the well-kept journal in the life of a tree.

Thanks to everyone who participated in last week’s poetry prompt. Here is a poem from Karen we enjoyed:

and the earth slowed
for a moment
reconsidering itself;

while soft rains came
loosening its grip
on yesterday;

leaning on reinvention
it gave away
its loveliness;

’til stillness found its place
and touched our hearts
with November

—by Karen Mae Zoccoli

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POETRY PROMPT: You are a tree (what kind of tree will you be?). Pick a single growth ring and write a poem about what you witnessed during the course of the year. What did you learn? How have you grown?

Photo by Marilyn Peddle. Creative Commons license via Flickr. Post by Heather Eure.

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