Poem #1 Symphony of the Forest

Symphony of the Forest

Father and I wandered through the forest

Among tall pine trees,

Stately and stark.

Frost covered the ground –

White in patches

Between the trees.

Sunlight filtering

Through the branches,

Lighting a million

Drops of dew

Like so many jewels

Hanging with fragility

On twigs and needle tips.

Sun’s rays catching up

So much beauty

In their arms

And softly caressing them.

The crisp air caught

Our breath

And our hearts

As they jumped to echo the burst

Of a bird call

Somewhere up in the topmost branches.

The sound came like

An unexpected thunder clap,

Clear as a slap

On somebody’s back

And then went

Rumbling, tumbling,

Cascading through the forest

From tree to tree,

On through the cold, crystal air,

Reverberating and resonating

In our ears

And in our hearts

Long after it came

To its symphonic completion.

• All rights reserved.

• Copyright 2006 Trevor W. Hampel

• First published in Expression magazine in 1972.

• It received an honourable mention in the Henderson Memorial Prize for Poetry.

• Read some more of my poetry here.

Mt Lofty Botanic Gardens