Tree of Life is an invented verse form written in the shape of a tree. Found at Poetry Styles (a site no longer accessible) and created by Christina Jusaumme who requests the subject of the poem be uplifting.
The Tree of Life is:
- a poem in 19 lines.
- syllabic, 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13-4-4-4-4-4-4.
- unrhymed.
- centered on the page.
My Example
Form: Tree of Life
Be Deciduous
Snow
that falls
on barren
limbs still may break
those boughs. None-the-less
the trees prepare themselves
by shedding platforms to which
snow would adhere, ensuring harm.
Bears can push through piles of snow, yet don’t.
They forecast and hibernate while snow falls.
It seems that man alone insists that he must
strive to thumb his nose and try to dance his forty
hour shuffle, weather be damned, inviting heart attacks.
Stock some lanterns
and candles too
stockpiles some food
that’s good for you
then read some books
and stay inside.
© Lawrencealot – February 3, 2015
