“The Silent Poem of the Forest” for Lincoln Davis Memorial Forest and New England Forestry Foundation
by bg Thurston
Mar, 2021
The Silent Poem of the Forest
A lone bronze soldier greets us,
holding his rifle and patriotic flag
in a tribute to another Civil War.
Uncertain of boundaries, we follow
the snow-covered road that divides
a stark wilderness of oak and fir
until we enter stillness, undercut
by a low thrum of far-away traffic.
No birds can be heard, no whisper
of wind, only the crunch of boots
threading through monochromatic trees
left from last year’s logging. An upheaval
of wood settles into its new landscape
as we tread gently under widow-makers
and around trunks uprooted by storms.
Everywhere, stone walls remain
where hilly pastures once prevailed.
Through the pines, the sun burning—
as its molten glow sinks into the horizon
and though we know we should leave,
we persist despite frozen ink and fingers.
Before dusk, we return to the world
where history keeps on writing itself,
But these woods will call us back
to behold these places of furious beauty
where nature struggles to remind us—
here is where our true battles lie.
bg Thurston now lives on a farm in Warwick, Massachusetts. In 2002, she received an MFA in Poetry from Vermont College and she has taught poetry at Lasalle College, online at Vermont College, and currently teaches poetry workshops. Her first book, Saving the Lamb (Finishing Line Press) was a Massachusetts Book Awards highly recommended reading choice. Her second book, Nightwalking, was released in 2011 by Haleys. This year, she has finished the manuscript for her third book about the history of her 1770’s farmhouse titled Cathouse Farm.
Across the region, forests provide timber for construction, local jobs, wildlife habitat, clean air and water, and recreational opportunities. These benefits support a vibrant and thriving region, and New England Forestry Foundation (newenglandforestry.org) works to protect them for future generations. Founded in 1944, NEFF pursues innovative programs to advance conservation and forestry throughout New England. In partnership with land owners, NEFF has conserved more than 1.1 million acres of forest, including one out of every three acres of forestland protected in New England since 1999.