FOR THE LOVE OF POETRY AND TREES

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the love of poetry and trees visit the imaginative Kindred Trees project instigated by Sarah St Vincent Welch, writer and image-maker. Sarah asks poets from Canberra and just over the border, to write about trees on the ACT Heritage List or trees that have otherwise captured their hearts.

 

The tree that captured my heart was a sycamore in Belconnen near the bus exchange. It provided charm and colour, and a little shelter from a pounding sun for a taxi driver in prayer. That was about six years ago when we began a new commute to Belconnen, so you’ll have to forgive me if I’m not entirely sure exactly which tree it was. I went looking one day with Sarah and Kindred Trees photographer Dylan Jones.

 

I’m convinced it was at a taxi rank beside a narrow grass verge close to the Lathlain and Cohen Street corner. Now there is concrete and paving, and the sycamores seem smaller even allowing for their winter nakedness. The only taxi rank is back a bit. The trees there are mature gums, so I know I’m not confused in that regard. Could both the taxi rank and the particular tree have been removed? Maybe to provide space and visibility for a left turn lane?

 

So, anyway, after much pacing of pavements, we settled on a likely tree. The tree cast a perfect shadow of itself, Dylan took many beautiful photos, Sarah examined the seed balls and told me about the plane trees in Sydney, we all admired the bark and the light, and I got the beginning of a second poem about the tree that it might be. I’m delighted to have both small poems on the Kindred Trees website.

 

Kindred Trees currently features 12 poets and about 14 poems with photographs of the chosen trees, some of them majestic. Sarah says: ‘The website is a living document which will change in time as more poems, poets, and trees are added.’ Sarah has made a commitment to the kindred trees of Canberra for a period of ten to fifteen years. Now that’s love.

 

Kindred Trees poets in order of appearance so far:

Jenni Kemarre Martiniello, Kate McNamara, Robert Verdon, Judith Nangala Crispin, Paul Collis, Sue Donnelly, Kathy Kituai, Audrey McCormick, Sara Rice, Sarah St Vincent Welch, SK Kelen, Lizz Murphy.

 

Photo: Casuarinas and eucalypts in my own garden