Friday, November 26, 2021

Where the Path Bends Long and Narrow (poem)

Hello and Happy Poetry Friday! Be sure to visit Ruth at There is no such thing as a godforsaken town for Roundup.

It's been a lovely Thanksgiving here at Casa Latham/Happy Rabbit Hideaway/The Lake. So SO much to be grateful for!

In case you missed it, my new video series Tuesday 2-Minute Writing Tip #2 "Call Me Ishmael" was about embracing our identities as writers, and a practice that has helped me for many years. I hope you'll give it a listen! And if you know a writer who may benefit, I'd be so grateful if you'd pass it along to them! Thank you!

Today I'm continuing my series of question-titled poems for ArtSpeak: FOUR SEASONS. With just 3 more Fall poems to go (and then 2 Winter), I've got 2022 on my mind... what should my ArtSpeak theme be? We shall see...

Also, it's that time when I begin reflecting on how my One Little Word "Bewilderment" has impacted my year... and thinking about what should be my 2022 One Little Word. More on these topics soon!

For now, here's my latest poem. Thank you so much for reading!




Where the Path Bends Long
and Narrow


We are both nameless—
the trees and me—
and what is true
breathes between us:
We both come from seed
and are made mostly of water.
We both require sunshine,
rain, soil.
We both lean into
a friendly, autumn breeze.
We learn from each other—
how to stay rooted;
how to move on.

- Irene Latham

10 comments:

  1. Good morning 'after', Irene. I'm happy that you had a lovely Thanksgiving. It feels like your poem should accompany all those wonderful tree books out these recent years, yet also it's meant for us humans, too? I love the final three lines! Happy weekend!

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  2. Love the comparisons in this poem...I need to share this one with my students next week. I have an ESL class coming in to do some reading and their teacher asked for compare/contrast! I will see what else I can find on art speak too. Thank you! I have some time today to catch up on Tuesday tip. I need to subscribe so I get them regularly. Can't wait to hear what you have in store for 2022. I've been thinking on it too. It's super fun to have something to reveal creatively. Thanks for the inspiration!

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  3. Loved the video and pondering what it means to say you are a "poet," the promise inherent in that. Also, your poem in such a clear by beautiful way shows what needs all living things have in common and taken a step further, what we share with all other humans.

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  4. Lovely, Irene! Glad you had a good Thanksgiving 🤗 🍂

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  5. Your video was timely. Between you and Heidi, I have officially claimed my identity of Poet.

    As for the poem, I adore how you decenter humanness in that first line. Our species needs to get over itself and play better with the rest of this amazing creation.

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  6. Following on Mary Lee's comment, yes--and I'm thinking let's leave nameless behind. Let's play better by making sure we name each being alongside our self-important human selves. "Locust and Tulip, Dogwood and Maple, let's drop our spent leaves and rest awhile together."

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    Replies
    1. Hi Heidi! This is so interesting! My idea in the poem was "here is a place we can be nameless." Setting aside all ego, need for separation... human=nameless, tree=nameless. xo

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  7. There seems to be a root of communication for Poetry Friday with tree personification poems. We can learn so much from nature. Thanks for giving us more inspiration with Tuesday videos. I'm so grateful for you and this wonderful community.

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  8. Oh, my goodness. Thanks for this, Irene...

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  9. Beautiful fall-embraced poem Irene, I really like your closing lines, such strength in this acknowledgement, thanks!
    "We learn from each other—
    how to stay rooted;
    how to move on.

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Your thoughts?