In Nature Studies - the next section of her collection of poetry – Gardening in the Tropics – Olive Senior personifies various plants, presenting them in what could be considered an unsavoury light. This is perhaps unusual, since the stereotypical presentation of plants and flowers is one of romanticized beauty and perfection.
This week’s assignment is not particularly serious or earnest. Write a descriptive paragraph or poem personifying either the plant kingdom or a specific plant. Use the poems in Nature Studies as inspiration or a sort of guide.
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you know in all honesty I stoooone forget bout this??? I only jus remember it O_O
so did i…
ooo it look funnish tho XD
hmmmmm, i love writing poetry….but right now a tad bit tired n this cold ain really helpin either will write a poem later on…….soon return to class too miss everyone:(
does ‘not particularly serious or earnest’ mean we don’t necessarily have to do it?
HAH!
You soooo know better than that.
This is for grades.
yes ursha, Azalia is wondering the same thing . So Mr.Abbott,care to respond.
see above…
well i guess im the first person..hope its sensible.
Coconut Tree
Tall and Slender,eloquent and thin,
long,radiant hair blowing in the wind,
dancing,bowing doing a little thing.
You tantalize many with your oh so heavy bounty,
big,small and medium sized,orange and yellow,yes even green sometimes.
The rings and markings about your body,
like jewellery and tattoos
for our viewing pleasure.
The coconut tree magnificent and awesome,with such splendour,
oh how i wish had your leisure.
this is prettyyy
mr.abbott the blog or whatever it is totally messed up my style for the stanzas…just thought i’d tell you
Girl i know your feeling same here darling, same here
Omg this is just my thing yepeeeeeeeeee. Yes Mr. Abott that is one mark plaese keep counting. Thank you.
ooOOOOoooo i like delisa’s poem…
awwwwwwwwwwwww thanks feeee..
olaender
with your beauty and perfection
you draw us
hunt us
to where ever you stand
with your showy disguise
and your fragrance
appealing to our senses
seducing us to destroy us
but little do we know that you cannot be trusted
that not onlyis your beauty deceptive
butyou also have all different disguises
red,pink,white…even orange
not only called oleander but Adelfa,Baladre,Olean….
that under your beauty lies something secretive
evil
a duplicitious creature
a predator
just waiting
and we again foolishly becomes ypur prey
which is ridiculous
snice we are seen as ‘smarter then you’
but we are easy traps
ignorant of what you plan to do
so we rush in and ends up dying…griefing, not understanding
why we end up being poison
imprisoned by such a beautiful thing
you have all the control over our lives
even when dead you resurrect
to laugh and mock us
in our distress
“WE HAVE MINDS”
Like a sea of rainbow we paint the brown earth
But thats not enough for you
You want to use us for your own selfish desires
So to defend ourselves we use our torns and pricks
In our sea of rainbow and perfume flying creatures; big and small
want to suck the lives out of us
So we snap at them
Why can’t we be left in peace to do our mission;
Decorate the brown earth in the morning
Then be part of it in the evening
Just enjoy our show, then let us go!
Excuse the lack of title-don’t tend to name them
It yawned as the sun climbed higher, this world of green.
Opening and receiving the morning
With kisses of its bloom.
It unfurled, stretched
Then hungrily fed on the moisture darkness left behind.
A light wind blew the sleepiness from its boughs.
So, it released the birds for their hunt,
Made way for insects to explore,
Shared its bounty with animals.
For those hurt by the glory of light,
It shut up in its secret places.
I looooove this
The White Rose
The child with the black ponytails
Stooping over the white helpless thing
Dumping cascades of well meant innocence
On the greedy creature.
In tears tomorrow
When drowned it collapses weakly
Tears in vain
An incident, you realise, years later
was for the best
Now that you know those bloodless petals
were far from clean in nature
A small spotless rose in a soiled pot
It’s rarity beyond beauty
But not belonging
An entity which cannot be trusted
An existence that cannot be identified with
Well at least not here
A passive cruelty that had you let it grow anymore,
Bloom in breathless pulchritude,
would have stabbed your naive flesh
You, the genuinely pure
And have you trickle life all over it
Bathing in new found loveliness
Crimson against Pale
A common ground that hurts only you
While it thrives off your blood and tears
You’re one less to conquer
Plumrose
You blossom twice a year
Then love apples you bear
The fruit like a heart
soft and juicy on the inside
Some are pink
some are red
sweet when they’re purple
to young to eat when they’re green.
Your name is different in some countries
some believe you to be a lucky apple
but i prefer what Lucians call you,
the love apple.
my poem is called ‘plumrose tree’ and not just plumrose..it was there dont know what happened to it.
jacinth you remember early i just remember today, SATURDAY!!!
what am gonna do
FLOWER POWER
You have a way to disguise yourself
With your colorful display
And sweet smelling waves
That fools most of us
Into coming closer into your existence
We’re gullible enough to do as you wish
Come forth to pick you
And in return you prick us
With your natural needles
Which we failed to see
Because you distracted us with your plain beauty
Now I’ve often admired you
And forgive you for my pains
But you never change
All you do is proliferate
And start the whole process again
Now you have a right to be mad
We take you from your homes
For which I’m sorry
To put you on displays
And leave you to fade
You try to stop us
With your protective defenses
But you’re not strong enough
To last the fight
Even with your vast army
You fall into our might
But your fault first and foremost
For again you disguise yourself
With your colorful display
And sweet smelling waves
That fools most of us
Into coming closer into your existence.
for some reason the title made me think of power puff girls-nah ask
I stand erect,
With my lobbed ears,
and woody limbs.
My trumpet shaped children,
continuously stick,their thin,
spiky tongue out at you,
with colours ranging from yellow to red.
Many persons use my children as a primary ingredient for their herbal teas, as well as
them serving as a national symbol.
In places like tahiti,
depending on which ear they are placed behind,
shows a womans’ availabilty for marriage.
All in all along with me,
and my over 200 other species,
and our many coloured children,
with different shapes and sizes,
I am a hibiscus plant.
I like the first 2 stanzas. They sound so…erotic
uhmmmm…i tried a thing
Poison Ivy
You use your leaves,
To seduce unsuspecting
Victims Walking by.One,two, Three leaves,
Are your weapon,your kiss makes us ill.
To the untrained eye,
Your green colour
Can be mistaken for any
Other. But what really is Your purpose,
To makes us remember you and
Distinguish from all the rest?
Some may loath you for what You are,
But I do not blame you for Your existence,
You are fulfilling your purpose,
Like us, that God put on this earth.
The Red Hibiscus In My Yard
I watch you bob from side to side
as the wind stifles your attempt to hold still,
you gleam in your world of crimson,
ever passionate,
ever burning,
alive and fulfilled.
The blissful ball of gold
shines its rays on your exterior.
and shows your bright wings more elegantly.
You pause at my stare and bob slower and slower
pretty flower… stop to listen to me
i hear you,you cry from within,
it has held you captive,
one day you will be free.
As i watch you again
my eyes piercing..
the wind has heard us
and gently she cradles you
and rocks you
They make peace.
I like Roselle *thumbs up*
Boston Ivy
Boston Ivy, this perennial plant.
You, we see every season sitting in your bed,
enjoying our sun.
With your dark, green suit, and your indistinct flowers and seeds,
yet you only choose to bloom so greatly in the summer and spring.
The most deceptive time of the year.
They don’t know,but I know, your plan.
Your plan! How clever you are.
You attract us with your flourishing attributes.
Little do they know how you seize your fellow’s place. Creeping through corners, like the snake you are.
With your adhesive hooks into the skin of the Mable tree, oh you! I know you!
So tempting to the eyes of the innocent, you blight plant.
Manchineel Tree (Apple of Death)
You make your fruit
With cruel intentions,
You raise it to resemble
In it’s colour, in it’s shape
That green, sweet fruit the apple.
You pretend to be
A shelter from the downpour,
But you laugh as
Your toxins, that white milky substance
Burn the skins of those
Who so foolishly trusted you.
Some have seen through your disguise
As you have been given the name
“Death Apple”
But your only desire
Lies in hurting the unsuspecting
Who takes that sweet, fatal bite.
Those who have seen through
Your deceptions, your true nature
Will try to warn those
Who are unaware of the danger
You so intentionally pose.
Buttercup
You bathe everyday
In the sun that reflects your colour
You stand up there with your petals so bright
Causing many to say
“you love me yes, you love me not”
But when I snatch your from your friends
You cannot survive much long
Without water
I wish your beauty
Would always remain with me
O jovial buttercup
Your radiance I would never forget
You clothe yourself with pink sometimes
Though most often I see you in yellow
You skip in the wind with much grace
Continue to strive
My dear buttercup
my poem sounds so lame in comparison to everyone else’s!But doing it was fun anyway:D
Bluebell
Born of the blood of Hyacinthus,
Your petals,Apollo’s tears,
You are beautiful as you hang
your head in humility,delicate
in your movements;graceful,
as your ‘bells’ ring in the wind.
Clothed in your simple,yet exquisite
garb, you can be compared to no other.
To Britain you are death;your beauty
graces their graves and
this same beauty masks your poison,
But
You are still lovely.
this is some general info I think you all would find fun to know.As you may know, flowers were used as secret messages and stuff and some flowers and their meanings can be found here:http://www.800florals.com/care/meaning.asp
P.S.the bluebell means humility:D
Ok now i’m done.lol
can you see me I’m right over here
The dark flower in nature that is so rare
A secret weapon on God’d earth
It’s sad that only few can see my worth
I’m not like hibiscus, buttercup and lavender,
That seduces the bees and insects to come nearer
This is why I am not apart of the great army
I cannot prooduce the one function that is required of me
You see I’m suppose to distract you human beings,
To ensure my collegues undergo their plottings
But how can I,I asked
Perform this honourable task
You see……..
I can’t produce the one funtion that is required of me
Dear….black beauty I feel ypur pain
But in it there is no gain
Humans are here to stay…
Plants and flowers will never have their way
Instead we can become friends
creating a bond of love, putting this war to an end!!!
Ohhh my bad my poem’s title is “The Black Dahila” and was inspired by a women who was MURDERED so it was then that she aquired the name.
“CACTUS”
Cactus, so amazing yet your praises are never sung,
I wonder how come,
does your exterior deceive and make other believe that you are not compassionate,
Spewing hate and dislike,
despite, the fact that on the inside what you truly hide is you’re sensitivity,
which evidently to most is unknown,
The facts of life the wrongs the right
that, you are not a parasite but a giver of life.
At you’re very core you are soft and moist,
Filled with water,
Or are those you tears,
from longing but never achieving such a fate,
and it was not by your choice that you very protection of spikes keep you isloted.
Are you green because you green with envy,
because unlike the rose your nature is not to attract but repel,
but i know i can tell,
that you are a surviver,
a thriver, in the most harsh conditions.
who will hide until the mission
of world domination is achieved,
after all the nature of nature is to deceive.
yuppp… i lovee this… what i was thinking… The Cactuss
waw Shafique.. lol impressed as usual lovin the last line.. gifted rhythm
I can’t tell you how much i love this eh!
Oh and I really like Jaci poem very interesting must have put alot in to it well thats because I think it was well thought out!!
lol
thanks a lot Jeselle
Hey I can relate to that Cactus poem its very intriguing!! I like it !!
A Coconut tree in the city
Yes I am a coconut tree in the city
I stand tall kissing the heavens
There is no one above me!
I look down on all insignificant objects below.
With my long green hands that grow from every angle
I slap the wind as it pushes me from side to side.
Ripping down the black lines that try to constrict my movement.
I toss my fruits like little hand grenades
I aim for parked cars or if I’m lucky people!
Maybe my green or yellow missiles will cause some damage
My long body goes down to earth
It is here where I am vulnerable
When my actions catch up with me
A coconut tree does not belong in the city
They chop and chop through my slim body
Until I loose my grip on the sky
I fall to the earth
I am no longer a coconut tree in the city.
lol o gor Ashee das rly sad but funny somehow I like ur poem was really entertainingg
“PLANT TALK”
He passed and said hello to the plant
and it swayed telling him hello also
He asked it’how do you do my dear?’
It bowed courtiously,a bow that said’fine thank you’
he said,’you’re looking rather lovely today’
and it showed him the red underneath of its flower(it was blushing)
He said,’boy it’s really scorching isn’t it?’
and a dry leaf fell to the ground showing the plant’s agreement.
The lady in white came and escorted him gently back inside;
He waved goodbye to the plant and it swayed from left to right waving back its goodbye to him.
Boy now reading that over it really sucks i guess procrastination is really bad huh!
cheyon’s(sorry if the name is spelt wrong)poem made me laugh,”excuse the lack of title” HA HA HA!!
LOL. for reference sake: CHEYENNE
Mimosa
Mimosa, or as we call you the
“Piss-ah-bed”
So small and timid.
The way you shut yourself out from the world
Because of your shyness,
Makes you so innocent.
You are very sensitive; closing those green fingers
To the gentlest of touch,
Though people don’t mind you that much.
But Ms. Mimosa, you know that you are not that innocent,
Remember you are part of the plantocracy
Trying to take over the world.
You are very a duplicitous plant!
You trick us into thinking that you are innocent,
But you are involved in asexual reproduction;
With bees being attracted to your pink
Ball shaped agents; transferring your seeds to other plants;
‘Spreading the joy’ much?
Rough and rugged cactus
You appear so rough and rugged on the outside,
Always with your defences sticking out,
Daring anyone to get too close,
But cut you and the tears will run.
If only people could see that these defences are apart of you
but still they are not you, not what you want,
That these defences do no justice to what’s on the inside.
What’s on the inside? The tender, soft you,
waiting to give a drink to anyone who takes a chance
and go beyond your defences.
You’re a hermit not because you want to be,
But it because it’s your nature.
Most times your deserted,
hardly anyone stay where you are
Once again nature over rules any wish you may have.
You have quietly accepted your purpose
and I do the same.
“Weeds”
I try to make a living
But they pluck me out of my rooted spot
And then say that I am no good.
I try to make a living
To support me and my green children
And my husband stalk,
The only one that keeps me alive
But with a sigh and grief
I am discarded as nothing.
My family and I are so immobile,
Yet we get around alot.
Choking the lives out of those who think that they are above us.
Those who think that they are more important than we are.
Sometimes I wonder and ponder,
At how stupid humans are.
They would pluck us out one by one,
But by the time they turn their backs,
We put our feet down again,
And stay rooted for a period of time,
Until the destructive forces rip us to shreds again.
Weeds.
Title: i really don’t know
i stood in the doorway of the floral shop
thinking i must do this
to end this relationship
or else we’ll cease to exist.
My eyes locked on the roses
the only way out
of a life tormented
and filled with so much doubt
Remarkably beautiful
and blood stained with love
each petal intertwined
like once we were
Those crevices were once filled with happiness, love and bliss
but now they’ll only remind you of my judas kiss.
The rose stares at me saying “i still love you”
“please don’t do this”
but the only thing to do
is to say “we can’t coexist.
I pluck it from its bed
my heart doing somersaults
Why did i choose a rose?
This is not its purpose.
Finally i leave all conflicted inside
you run up behind me
Oh gosh am i crazy
to use this emblem of love to say other wise
yet it stares at me
guaging my every move
to say “hey you’re not going to corrupt my image”.
I’m the star and not willing to lose.
So guess what i did
i placed it her hands
and said ” baby i just wanna show you how much i still love you”
The rose had won
or somewhat fullfilled its purpose
to get me thinking
you know what, i still love her.
THIS IS SO CHEESY
FORGIVE ME
I TRIED
Fellita i really like your poem…it made me think alot…great job!
The Orchid short yet sweet
Sunrise,
Father Timber like all warriors
rages battle against every ray,
Mother Pine with wonder womans
grip nourishes,
My brothers and sisters,
Our lives so simple.
Little flowers we sway in the breeze,
Turning our faces to the sun and trees,
When the night comes each one nods and sleeps,
Only to burst bright at dawns first light,
Our simple lives.
Dangling at the bottom of the tank
I can’t feel the wind through my leaves
Only water,
Cold,
Fishy water.
Keeping this place isnt easy
But it doesn’t matter
Once i keep up the good work,
Right.
Others have the job to,
Beautify
Reproduce
Transform
But i get to make oxygen and clean.
What a hell of a job.
But i protect u too Mr. Fish
From the bigger Mr. Fishes
No one see’s that because i’m not bursting with life and flavour.
Dont worry about me i’ll be here
Cleaning and caring all day
All day tomorrow too,
Lucky for you i dont have Teeth.
o Shocks i forgot the name, its: Water Maid
Clayton’s Red Sunset
Dionaea;
Branded Venus
jaded with Aphrodite’s allure
sans soft skin and sin
or beauty
But do not be disheartened
It’s what’s on the inside that counts
There you’ll find reprieve
These long fingers are here
Only to placate
Hold you close
It’s been a long day…hasn’t it?
Come, Rest.
Forgive me if I snap
It’s just that you frustrate me so
With your unnecessary prudence
this delicate artistry;
heart-shaped…what better indication must I put forth?
It’s my good nature
that paints my insides the color
of clandestine passion and begs you come-hither
Yet you linger
Tip-toeing
Don’t believe the rumors you hear
There is nothing Machiavellian about my lure
Have you not many eyes to see?
I wont hurt a fly
But I do hate being tickled…
meh!
Coconut Tree
Standing tall and at ease
swaying in the Caribbean breeze
commonly found at our seashore
but visit our “bush”
if you want to see more
Coconut tress displays our heritage
and the extracted juice
we use in fudge and porridge
not only porridge and fudge
but dough-boy and sugar cake
from whose delicacy
no man wants to budge
have you try our coconut recipe yet
you would savour every bite
and lick your finger i bet
so come to our blessed country
and learn more about our coconut history
Jump-up-and-kiss-me
Your name alone makes any child fascinated
And your tricks draw us even more near,
You open and close at the touch of a finger
And in the dark you seem to disappear.
Our parents show us how fun you are
But they tend not to share,
The harm you cause when we bump up on you
Totally unaware.
You lay beneath us disguised when we’re in the midst of play
And unluckily our nude feet get jabbed so very severe,
For you tricky fellow have your secret thorns
Ready to grin and bare.
How is it we never noticed those thorns,
Until we feel the pain here?
Did our parents really forget to tell us that fact?
Didn’t they think it important to share?
poetry not really my thing
mine either
When the earth was new and warm
Out of it wormed the forbidden fruit.
With her tongue split into three,
She and Adam became fast friends.
She spiraled, and as her tales grew longer, the little sphere in her mouth grew larger.
‘It is too sweet for me to keep to myself’ she whisspered.
Unhinged her jaw and let the yellow globe fall
Into the cup of the smaller one’s hands.
An unwelcome taste.
The larger one took too much, look how the seeds still lodge in his throat.
But he is not ashamed at the discovery of passion.
Long thick tresses hugs the dark soil
embracing an airy seductive night dance,
while the finger-like stems of the deceptive plant points its praises to
the consent of the winking omniscient night stars.
The knowing wind shh’s in response.
Yet in the morning these sly fingers recede in a woven mat
dotted with small bright flowers rising to taste the morning dew while perfume the air with its venom
then plucked my innocent hands.
Poison ivy…
You tricked me
Can’t believe I took your three leaved body for a clover
And picked you
You fooled me
To think I got goosebumps from the feelings you gave me
I was all ready for good luck
Ahh it was all a charade
Your vine hooked to me
Never did it let go
So attached you became
Slowly you were my foe
The green of tomorrow oozed out
Turning everything in my mind black
I should have known the duplicity of your movements
Robin he did warn me
Still I fell into your trap
Now I’m hideously filled with rashes
From my head to my toe
Poison ivy…
How I trusted you so
F.G.R.G
You had been touched by the old mother,
who lowering her head, kissed your five petals carved ever so daintily.
Behind she left the pale blue of her, and nestled in your center a faint amber dust stolen from Aurora’s palace.
You are a light and feathery allure of no marked beauty, but rather simple modesty, sitting on disheveled stems.
Perhaps this is why you had been chosen to
represent the tales of lovers, ones who have passed and the memories of the multitudes. They screaming the desire of successful human existence,
forget me not.
Your pale blues reflect their tears, their sorrow, their emblem of life, water.
Your amber the sunlight in their gloom, a spark of hope in the selfish pain of man.
Do they not know of a time when you were just pale blue?
No meanings attached to your being, just unpretensive you.
Cursed are you through your name. A martyr for dieing, the dead,
those crying the desire of successful human desire, forget me not.
You are but a flower, living the dream of man,
endless,
Never forgotten.
oo the title is Forget-me-nots
n its spose to be in the 2nd stanze”perhaps this is why you have been chosen”………… Sry mista abbott on the late post completely forgot :$
NNNNNNNN last time im commenting *really sleepy now* unpretensive is not really a word *shame* its unpretending …… gd ntye well MORNING
Mother of Millions is a name given to a succulent plant all over the drier parts of Madagascar. They are named for their ability to reproduce, each plant produced thousands of offspring, The plant’s ability to reproduce in such large numbers and to withstand droughts explains why it has escaped from gardens and rubbish tips to become a serious problem in many rural areas. Mother-of millions, particularly the flowers, can be VERY POISONOUS. It continues to claim the lives of cattle throughout the north west. In one of the worst reported cases in recent times, 125 head of cattle died after feeding on mother-of-millions on a traveling stock reserve, Moree area, 1997. Greatest risk is when the plant is in flower, and especially during dry times when feed is scarce. And, when cattle are stressed or in unfamiliar territory (eg a new paddock) they are more likely to try plants they wouldn’t normally touch.
Mr Abbott? Is everything ok? We missed u today.. :S
“words of a vulnerable man (weed song)”
I never thought I could meet someone like you
so pure and unlike the other girls
you are not confused or confusing
you even chose me, though all others wanted you
but they do not love you the way I do, no one does
To me this is not a phase, something for a high, thrill or buzz.
You and I are equal and the same
you understand that love is serious and not a game
so girl, I wont’t listen to people when they say,
you will hurt me, or we are too young
to prove my love, I might even give you a lung
because girl, you are my everything
you are my physician, my prescription my addiction
so girl, tell me
are you real
or are you a hallucination?
WAIT -lemme understand, the girl is the weed?
good poem by the way
wen duz this close? :S
Parasite Plant
you stand so tall
high up in the sky
where our eyes can barely see
grasping for every ray
sent down from the sun
so tall you stand
in you leafy splendour
with roots thick as my arm
you stand strong
so mighty so powerful
so unaware of your doom to come
it creeps from beneath
around your mighty roots
up your rough dark bark
it winds its way around you
like a warm embrace
like a shadow it creeps
one of your own kind
and unsuspecting murderer
uses you to grasp the light
as it takes your rays
it gains strength
the warm embraces changes
it becomes a murderous grasp
and like a parasite
that love vine
sucks your life.
ooooOOOO ALL the poems were really nice… no i didnt really read them all… but those i read…
were good… love the cactus shafique