“the consolation of trees”
with much taken away it is a small mercy
dementia patients have trees their remaining
presence ceaselessly focusing the horizon
a horizon offering nothing that isn’t
in the present tense but with much
already lost maybe it is luck to have trees
opulent flooding the sky
in dementia the mind is held in thrall
to trees the late summer soothing
movement the wind makes of them
that hypnotic amazement and with much already
stolen already forgotten there is the consolation
of trees filling the mind the sky ceaselessly
remade into a gift
“the consolation of trees” is from a manuscript of commemorative poems for Su Croll’s father called Someday which is currently seeking publication. Recently, another poem from this manuscript, “side track”, was short-listed for Arc Poetry Magazine’s Poem of the Year Award. In 2015, a short sequence from Someday was long-listed for the CBC Poetry Prize. Su Croll has published two other collections: Worlda Mirth and Blood Mother, and completed a novel, Image Hungry, which is also seeking publication. To find out more, visit sucroll.wordpress.com.
To view other poems published in this issue please visit Vallum’s website.
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