The Temple Trees
Feverishly we search for a spot to shield
us from the sun, we find ourselves
returning to the temple trees, where
we lie beneath the white
and pink blooms, with the scent of summer
luring us to waste the day away
noon passes and the sun begins
gracefully descending, sinking
slowly, her luminous rays bleed
into the horizon beyond the courtyards
plumeria floats along the breeze
tickling our senses
and as quickly as it began, the day ends —
this is when we become alive, when
night’s starlit canopy floats
above us, extending the
invite to dance, to sway together
beneath the temple treesBEHIND THE POEM
From time to time, I’ll explain the stories or source(s) of inspiration behind the poems I pen. I typically start writing poems via free writing (just getting words out on the page), to see what I’m vibing with during my session. I’ll review resources or books I have on my shelf to experiment with different forms, to see if I can make the words that flow from my pen fit within a format that calls to me.
This week, I pulled out an old unfinished poem and picked a form I enjoy: acrostic poetry. I found pushing myself to craft lines around a single word, which is to be spelled out vertically, challenging in a wonderful way.
In “The Temple Trees,” I used line breaks both for intentional pauses and to also call more attention to the sensory of the setting, using the lines to showcase the word “frangipani.” This was inspired by the fragrant smells of a lovely bloom that reminds me of warmer days, which is something I’m desperately awaiting as we officially enter the spring season.
A famous example of the acrostic format is Lewis Carroll’s “A Boat, Beneath a Sunny Sky,” which spells out the name “Alice Pleasance Liddell.” This poem concludes his novel Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There (which was written as a sequel to Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland). The more you know!