New Timber Vs. Old Timber Poem by Seema joglekar

On New Timber rain-drenched moss play house, leaf-moulds drift,
Under it’s trysty loafing shade, lust ransacked love & both did embrace,
Gilded wantonness & robed disarray unveiled in shoulders bare,
Solemnized with names etched in the bark, kiss to seal the
betrothal in the dark.

New timber’s uniform surfaces ooze, forest breath caught in it’s knots,
Where in each whiff of coquettish spring, a yearning glance is cast,
Pours sticky resin to contain pockets, with juices that expand & contract
Like the cursing &lamentations, of those fearing despair’s intruding stomp.

To the gang saw’s rip, the fallen log gnarls; curls &splits, a shattering wail,
Forest still resounds in shrieks; bows &warps, congruous with lover’s snarl,
In blood-draining tannin, admits worldly things to break their heart, dismays,
As drains blood in pale cheeks of the revelers, - as they part ways.

Often Old wood dispels a woodsy smell, sawed; of many winters betrays,
Let’s a sigh, , like a bullet report or a sullen whimper, tempts hearts to abide time
In borrowed vigor, faiths pledged, by those that patiently wooed & wept,
In secret dread, plan days ahead, listen to destiny’s faint advancing step.

Then is blessed with burgeoning luck- before horseshoe is riveted with nail,
Creaking howl disguise subterranean dampness, that wine spill stains contain,
Discolored streaks & patches reveal, a happy home where pictures scream,
Of married bliss & stacked attics with two people’s cherished dream.

Old wood skulks of coronations made, civil strife won & conquests prided,
Like lovelorn pairs in every branch, boast of nests time-tested,
Accepting time & space found, no wills transgressed, now rush to make haste,
In mischief befitting their ardor, to consecrate their ties, kidnap the priest.

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16th Nov-2009