tree story #61: Jack and the Redwood

tree story #61: Jack and the Redwood

"The forest canopies of the earth are realms of unfathomed nature, and they are largely a mystery." - Richard Preston, "Climbing the Redwoods," The New Yorker

Imagine ascending on ropes, not quite
to heaven; to the Canopy Kingdom where toppled crowns
turn to dust, to soil nourishing upstart leaders,
lichens and featherleaf ferns, huckleberry thickets
rooted in rot.

Gird yourself
in harness, Jack, and not for lumber. Climb
the beanstalk that sprouted when Caesar was a child,
its roots vast as an unseen underworld.
All you know is the trunk, more than 20 feet thick
at the base, rising buttressed, to look out
over a forest in coastal cloud.

Pull yourself up as in fairy-
tale to meet, not slay, this giant
tree. Climb out of his deep green shadow
till you see daylight filtering through the highest
branches, 350 feet above the forest floor.

Now, flop down
in the palm of his hand. Pop a huckleberry
into your mouth and give your host
a seedy grin. He holds you
by the roots.

Taylor Graham

New stories arriving!

I'm so thrilled, I've been getting several new stories - actually all poems recently - for my images in the past few days. Just as I was starting to get worried, or thinking that this would be a very limited collaboration... I sent out an SOS to a couple writer friends, who then got the word out to some writing groups & interest has grown - so exciting! (Thanks to JoAnn especially, since the first real submission from someone outside my own influence has come from seeds you have sown.)

So I'm inviting you who are now reading to browse the entries and look for comments to see what has been submitted and watch how this grows. I really need to get back into the darkroom to get this moving along now, and I'll be posting new work as I go. (Probably new contact prints, too, as I can't seem to not take photos of trees.)

It was also brought to my attention that Sacramento is the "City of Trees" so this is a particularly appropriate project here...

Tree Story #12: They Speak of Angels

(slightly fuzzy shot with my cheap digital, but it gives you the idea. ) 

Tree Story #31: Honduran Mist