Today I have gone back to my book of poetry, ‘Friends In My Garden,’ for a poem that deals with family and friends who were grieving. ‘Chestnut Tree’ applies to men who suddenly lose a child, sometimes through death, but it could also be through family breakdown or some other kind of separation, hence the ‘branch in youthful bloom.’ The men for whom I wrote this struggled on never really recovering from that loss but hiding their grief, grateful for any moment of happiness that came their way. It’s a sad poem. I offer it to you to pass on if you wish. My poems were written to be shared and many readers told me of their gratitude for my ability to put into words the things they wanted to say but didn’t know how.

CHESTNUT TREE

Braced

upright

his strong side

fronts the world.

Once the chestnut tree stood firm

thinking nought could shatter him

but look to the scar he bares

where ripped from his heart

a branch in youthful blossom

crashed to the ground

one winter’s night.

His days now greet the morning mist

relished is each ray of sunshine.