Tag Archives: home grown national park

What if Nature, the woods and trees miss us as much as we miss them?

What If The Trees Miss Us? Haiku

What if the trees deep/
in the woods miss us as much/
as we’re missing them?

Back Story:
The other day I was walking through the woods at Spirit Tree Farms, and I felt like I should spend some time at the base of The Old Woman of the Woods, “our” pre-Civil War giant oak tree. As I was feeling her bark, connecting with her, I felt a deep melancholy, a sense of longing, a sense of missing her. I wondered why I’d stayed away from connecting with her, and Nature, and God’s creations, for so long.

Suddenly, I was away that the feeling was mutual. It was almost as if she whispered “Hello, Boy. Welcome back. I’ve missed you. I’ve been lonely for you.”

I’d never thought of that concept before, that maybe the trees miss us! That thought inspired this haiku.

Diamonds in the Trees: ImproVerse Rhyming Poem

Friends were complaining after a major ice storm in the Chattanooga Metro area (Catoosa County, NW Georgia). With lows around 6 degrees above zero, it WAS cold! As the sun came up, it showed something magical: Diamonds in the Trees. I walked through the woods and out into the wildflower field at Spirit Tree Farms, where goldenrods, pokeweed, late bonneset, blackberries, grasses, and other native plants joined with honey locusts, hickory and oak trees, and more, to show off  a collection of sparkling jewels unmatched at any jewelry store. I riffed these iambic lines in a video, trying to stiffle my crying. Thanks to HomeGrownNationalPark.org for the inspiration, and to Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus for the Creation.

“I Know It’s Not Much, But … ” It IS! — rhyme

Backstory: On #HomeGrownNationalPark‘s Facebook page, someone posted a photo of sprouting acorns, and wrote: “I know it’s not much, but … “.
 Here’s my response:

I’m in several native plant groups, including Greater South-Eastern Native Seeds and Plant Exchange , and I always encourage people to NEVER apologize for their efforts. We’re all doing what we can, the best that we can. Think of it: 20 years ago or even less, hardly anybody but Doug (founder of Home Grown National Park) and my dad Gene L. Kuhns and a few eco-pioneers were doing anything, and now look at us! Changing the world, one acorn at a time.
People rise up in frustration,
scowling at the United Nations,
holding demonstrations.
But you don’t need to sound a horn.
YOU are sprouting acorns!
And that’s an example to the rest of us,
and is marvelous!