Friday, December 11, 2015

Poetry Friday: The Cedar Tree (Jessica Powers)

I woke this morning with snow on my mind. I'm not sure why, since it's still quite mild here for December, and all we've seen this week is rain. But I found myself marveling over the beauty of Monet's painting "The Magpie," and then I found myself turning to one of my favorite Jessica Powers poems, "The Cedar Tree."

The Cedar Tree

In the beginnng, in the unbeginning
of endlessness and of eternity,
God saw this tree.
He saw these cedar branches bending low
under the full exhaustion of the snow.
And since He set no wind of day to rising,
this burden of beauty and this burden of cold,
whether the wood breaks or the branches hold
must be of His devising.



The rest of the poem is here. The end of the poem almost always brings me to tears. 

The Poetry Friday round-up today is at A Teaching Life.

2 comments:

Donna Smith said...

I like the beginning of this poem, and I will read the ending sometime....I'm just not in the frame of mind to bring myself to tears right now. I could do it too easily! So I'm going to wait and read the rest Monday morning!! A good Monday morning cry is easier.

Beth said...

I do know what you mean. :) I probably should have mentioned that the tears this poem brings are good ones! It gives me a deep sense of being loved and held by infinite wisdom and love.