casting lemon rays
from upturned palms
the child cries out
to sharp thistles
oh, take this
falling on knees
into wet sand
black-winged birds
dance around her
oh, take this
mother tree parts
twisted wooden arms
crackling with heat
ancient cedar rising
oh, take this
elder wind forces
gravity to ease
the child laughs
freely she moves
oh—
*36/100: For the next 100 days, I’ll be writing and posting a poem every day.
**All photos are mine, taken with an Olympus E-M1 MarkII and edited with Lightroom Classic.
Bridgette Tales 
I enjoyed the musical rhythm and the rich natural imagery. For me, though, the symbolism remained quite enigmatic, and I wished for just one or two clearer anchors to help me enter the world of the poem.
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That’s fair. I was trying to be more abstract with this one, dealing with my own pain level, and making it more like a plea for it to end.
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What a hauntingly beautiful and imaginative poem! 🌿✨ I was especially drawn to the recurring “oh, take this”—it feels like a plea, a surrender, and eventually a release, all at once.
The imagery is wonderfully vivid: lemon rays from upturned palms, black-winged birds dancing around her, the ancient cedar opening its twisted arms, and finally the elder wind easing gravity so the child can move freely. There is something almost mythical about the journey—from pain and struggle toward freedom and laughter.
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That’s exactly what I was trying to evoke and I’m so glad it worked for you. Trying to find new ways to talk about pain.
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Bridgette, I love how “oh, take this” sounds like the child is giving away her pain, until the last “oh—” shows that she is finally free.
~David
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That’s exactly what I was trying to do, as I deal with my own pain, trying to find ways to stay hopeful. Thank you ❤️
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Loved this, Bridgette. Nice capture of raw emotion that crosses multiple thresholds in a situationally-agnostic way.
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Aww, thank you. That means so much! Trying to lean more into storytelling.
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