The Caterpillar
Dangling down its silken thread,
A caterpillar came;
From atop a branch of tree,
After her feeding game.
Little did it think that there,
A leafy twig green stood,
While it began to descend down,
Dancing across the air.
It jumped in fright upwards from where
It attempted to fall;
The leafy branch too followed it,
And formed a bottom wall.
The Caterpillar sensed the leaves,
And found them succulent;
Alighting gently upon it,
It romped home happily!
Copyright by Dr John Celes 4-5-2008
poem by John Celes
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Of Caterpillars and Childhood
We were childhood playmates
Way back in the late fifties
She was sort of a retardate,
We children were not aware of this.
One day we climbed a guava tree
And Celia (that's her name)
Tried to climb the tree with me
How we enjoyed that racing game!
On a stronger branch I sat
My brother climbed the other
As Celia climbed I noticed that
Green caterpillars were all over!
I jumped off that tree so fast
And my brother followed suit
Celia tried to get off, alas!
A caterpillar stuck to her foot.
She held to a branch in fear
Her hand crushed the green thing there
With a scream she let go, oh dear!
She fell on her back with a holler!
Her grandma came rushing over
As we laughed at the silly crying
But out came our angry Mother
And we were in for a big scolding.
Looking back I have my regret
I have not been able to say 'Sorry'
My friend was one I will never forget
So for her, I write this little story.
poem by Cynthia Buhain-Baello
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Our Tree
When spring comes round, our apple tree
Is very full of flowers,
And when a bird sits on a branch
The petals fall in showers.
When summer comes, our apple tree
Is very full of green,
And everywhere you look in it
There is a leafy screen.
When autumn comes, our apple tree
Is full of things to eat.
The apples hang from every branch
To tumble at our feet.
When winter comes, our apple tree
Is full of snow and ice
And rabbits come to visit it...
We think our tree is nice.
poem by Marchette Chute
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Bobbing
when the crow
lands on the twig
the weight
pushes the twig
down almost
reaching the ground
the bobbing
somewhat intrigues
the senses of the
caterpillar on the leaf
the tree frowns
upon a black alien
some leaves fall
and the grass as usual
keeps its silence
as the air passes by
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
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The Tree And The Branch
the tree looks
upon a branch
where a ripe
fruit is hanging
the tree says
it is mine
the branch say
i am holding it
the tree says
the branch too
belongs to it
angry about the
tree's greed
the branch lets go off
the ripe fruit
a hungry child
picks it up
and goes home
with a happy heart
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
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The element of determination
I will be the last leaf
To fall
From this tall tree
This fall
Was my thinking
When I chose to strike
Three months back
On a much extended
Branch of this oak tree
By the side of the road
Things started changing
Over the period
And there was
A steady dropp in temperature
Many leaves much above me
And by the side of me
Changing colours
From yellow to purple
Waiting for the ultimate fall
But I am yet to change
Maintaining my original green
Active still producing
Carbohydrates with my chlorophyl
Despite the weak solar input
I was very happy
As most of the leaves
Have fallen
Changing the colour
Of the lawn beneath
From the grassy green to
The leafy yellow
It so happened
That I was the lone green leaf
In the entire tree
Left unturned to yellow
The very next afternoon
A scientist, botanist must be,
Reached over me
Standing on a ladder
Examined me with a
Magnifying glass
Ran his fingers over me
And to my dismay
Plucked me from the branch
Though crying within
I was glad
I am the last leaf
To fall
“Dr Wilson, what could be
There special in this leaf
Which managed to stand green
And strong so long
With no signs of falling
Even at the peak of
This fall”
Said Dr Van Buren,
The botanist
A portion of mine
Was bleached
A portion of mine
Was digested in acid
My extracts
Were chromatographed,
Electro-phoresised
Atomic absorption spectrographed
Dr Wilson
Phoned up to
Dr Van Buren
“There is nothing analysed
Abnormal and special
With the contents
Of the leaf sample
Given here for anaysis.
But, I could sense
The element of determination
In this leaf
Which made it
Strick on
Despite all odds”
poem by Bashyam Narayanan
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The Death Of A Tree
When I see a tree cut down
whose life was not yet done
I look upon it with a frown
and then look at the sun.
For the sun that nurtured every limb
and every leafy branch
has one less tree to care for
that never had a chance
to say to man
''Don't cut me down.
Don't let me die.
Don't let the sap
within me dry.'
For every tree that's been alive
that's grown upon this earth
is a gift from nature to us all
that's always known its worth.
The problem as I see it
is man who cannot see
just what it probably feels like?
To be the cut down tree.
poem by Edwina Reizer
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Great Deluge ceases
dove from Noah’s ark
flies back with leafy twig
haiku by John Celes
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Mothers’ Day ‘08
North or south; east or west;
A mother’s love is always best!
Throughout its childhood, cleaned and dressed,
A mother gives baby, good rest.
A mother is the love-pillar;
A father is the source of strength;
A child is like caterpillar,
Metamorphosing in its length!
A mother keeps the home happy;
A mother cleans the babe’s nappy;
A mother tends to dear daddy;
A mom-less home cannot be sweet!
The angel in the house is mom!
The toiler of the home is mom;
The cleaner in the house is mom;
She knows all problems but keeps mum!
The chief-cook in the house is mom;
The teacher in the house is mom;
The care-taker is also mom;
She knowingly is sometimes dumb!
A spoilt-kid’s mom had spared the rod;
As children’s friend, mother looks odd;
For most things, mothers give the nod;
A mother is a demi-god!
Copyright by Dr John Celes 5-11-2008
poem by John Celes
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Axed tree lifeless nude:
Rain dons leafy raiment green;
Life returns anew
haiku by John Celes (30 July 2011)
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Spring’s loveliest creature- Butterflies
What hues of Butterflies, we see on earth!
What color combinations and wing-spans!
What textures and designs those fly with mirth!
The tiniest hover-crafts- better than man’s!
From tiny Caterpillar phase, they grow
Into the gorgeous ‘living planes’ that move,
O’er land and sea and sky: from flow’r to bough!
Yes, Nature’s prettiest creature, earthlings love.
When spring spreads her verdure leafy blanket,
And flowers bloom from buds, so numerous,
And Zephyr cool blows over landscape wet,
The butterflies spring forth, most beauteous!
The caterpillar’s gluttony was right!
A swarm of lovely colors weaves a trail
Of happiness astounding any sight!
Yes, spring has come so that earthlings shan’t wail!
A magic performed by Nature mother:
By sweep of her flow’ry-Butterfly wand!
O’er winter’s frozen, leafless land, brother;
Spring’s the shrine of seasons, worshipped, so grand.
poem by John Celes
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Fall Leaves Dance
Look up and they're green,
Look up and they're yellow and green.
Then they're yellow, orange, red and green.
And then most are yellow, green, orange, brown,
Masses of moving colors, dancing up and down.
Slow, colorful dances bemuse the morning breeze,
The pace quickens with the evening wind.
It's right, it's left, it's up and down,
It's east, to west, to north, to south,
Warmed and energized by the setting sun.
Squirrels race among the leaves
Doing their dance routines,
Skimming and swaying the branches,
Weighting the limbs and twigs
With buoyant starts, stops and turns.
The new season is appearing: Fall is here!
Quietly and slowly birds hop from branch to branch
Camouflaged among the leaves
That silently fall, to carpet the ground and invite
New crushing, musical rolls from children at play.
poem by Hildred Marjorie Schloss
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Y.. Tree of Life
The tree of life
It has a branch
A money making branch
The bigger the money making branch
The more comfortable our life
But if the money making branch
Is the only branch
On our tree of life
It is such an ugly and unstable tree.
A prayer and devotion branch
Will stabilize the tree of life
Let it be a real big branch
On your tree of life
But if only two branches on a tree
Imagine how ugly it would still be!
So let there be branches
Of Affability and Charity
Of Cheerfulness and Friendliness
Of Gentleness and Honesty
Of Humility and Compassion
Of Spirituality and Wisdom
Of Courage and Hard work
With these branches present,
It will carry soon the lush greenery
Of love and job satisfaction
And soon enough, the tree of life
Will bear the fruits
Of peace of mind and happiness.
A wonderful tree of life I wish you
with many fine branches
and lots of greenery and fruits.
poem by Aufie Zophy
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A Broken Branch, A Fervent Tree
Such compassion and beauty be,
With the comfort strongly felt,
A friendship intensely made,
By the obstacles both sides have dealt.
I have no life without my other half,
No laughter unfeigned, no smile undelayed,
Immensely crafted into a bond,
So resilient and true, yet not dismayed.
I am a branch without a tree,
If I'm not with you, I fall, I am unbalanced,
You are my inner strength, my inner warmth,
A clandestine unglanced.
Such a friend you are,
A friend that one could never imagine,
A feeling of mirth and undeniable care,
As warm as a joyful grin.
I am a branch without a tree,
Incomplete without a tree,
I am the branch, you are the tree,
A broken branch, a fervent tree.
- a poem for Lorena -
- a poem for CHULCZ -
poem by Nashy Lamen
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Praying Mantis
The praying mantis hardly prays!
By camouflage, it takes its preys;
It hunts insects that fly all days;
A carnivore, it always stays!
Its eyes see well for sixty feet!
It lives on branches green to eat;
Sometimes, its color looks like wheat;
It turns its neck full circle neat.
The female kills the male in sex;
Big ones can eat a frog and vex;
They are not poisonous at all;
They climb quite fast a tree or wall!
Copyright by Dr John Celes 7-27-2008
poem by John Celes
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Birds of Paradise
the birds chirped gaily
wearing beautiful colours
of yellow orange blue and
green with rosy red
all nestled together
on the branch of a
leafy green tree
the sun beamed down
the humidity steadily rose
with a chance of rain
but this didn't stop him
oh wow just who is this
handsome guy with
binoculars and cameras
his tools for
photographing
some of the most beautiful
birds in the world-
oh just another day
in paradise
poem by Rachel Nichols
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Tree Frog
The tree frog
sits
on a green leafy branch
and stares at me with bright orange persimmon eyes
and a goofy expression that says,
“I’m a tree frog, what did you expect? ”
His yellow gumby-like legs
and bulbous sticky fingers
are poised and
ready to jump
straight out of the calendar
and onto my keyboard.
Ah, the things that go through your head
when divining for inspiration.
(Previously published in Creative Voice, Feb.2000)
poem by Laurence Overmire
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They Too Dangle
If you suck the sap from the tree,
To feed your own interests...
Without seeking ways to replenish,
OR preserve what's left...
You sap the life from the tree.
And guess what?
Have you ever observed yourself,
Dangling from a branch?
Connected to it as the leaf you are,
Leeching.
Well...
That branch from which you leech,
Is connected to that tree...
From which you attempt to leave sapless.
And surrounding your unconscious doing,
Are others who are not as thoughtless.
But like you...
They too dangle,
Precariously with similar sefishness.
Until they dropp from that same tree...
Lifeless.
But you,
And those like you...
Wish to speed up that process!
With your frenzied greed.
poem by Lawrence S. Pertillar
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Transformations
THEY Wait
the caterpillar, the flower bud,
time is like a hand that does not compel
them, because by its unnoticeable grace
the process goes on and on
the caterpillar is caressed into a cocoon
in still air
stiller hours
of petals falling one by one
giving way to seeds
existence
the buds have no memories
what to tell
how one morning they all turn
into flowers
then wilt
upon the conquest of
sunset
some things too
have wings that flutter
happily
but only for
a day
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
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Monarch
That butterfly I knew.
Pretending to be just a caterpillar...
With nothing else to do.
Crawling upon a branch,
And on leafs I saw it chew.
I watched this masquerade...
And stayed focused on it too!
That butterfly I knew,
Then tried to hide itself...
Inside a cocoon!
That butterfly I knew...
Inside that cocoon grew.
I saw a wing of beauty appear.
With designs of color too!
Did I imagine this in sleep?
Is that caterpillar pulling on me...
Some magical trick or treat?
And then it winked at me and flew away.
As if to say to me in flight...
'I wish I had your time,
With nothing else on my mind...
But to sit and contemplate on ways,
On how to waste my days and life!
I've got things to get done and do.
Do you? '
And this Monarch,
Away flew!
poem by Lawrence S. Pertillar
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To My Friend - Ode I
TRANSPLANT the beauteous tree!
Gardener, it gives me pain;
A happier resting-place
Its trunk deserved.
Yet the strength of its nature
To Earth's exhausting avarice,
To Air's destructive inroads,
An antidote opposed.
See how it in springtime
Coins its pale green leaves!
Their orange-fragrance
Poisons each flyblow straight.
The caterpillar's tooth
Is blunted by them;
With silv'ry hues they gleam
In the bright sunshine,
Its twigs the maiden
Fain would twine in
Her bridal-garland;
Youths its fruit are seeking.
See, the autumn cometh!
The caterpillar
Sighs to the crafty spider,--
Sighs that the tree will not fade.
Hov'ring thither
From out her yew-tree dwelling,
The gaudy foe advances
Against the kindly tree,
And cannot hurt it,
But the more artful one
Defiles with nauseous venom
Its silver leaves;
And sees with triumph
How the maiden shudders,
The youth, how mourns he,
On passing by.
Transplant the beauteous tree!
Gardener, it gives me pain;
Tree, thank the gardener
Who moves thee hence!
poem by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
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