Day 23: Old Poet

Old Poet, by Norman McCaig

Old Poet, by Norman McCaig

The alder tree
shrivelled by the salt wind
has lived so long
it has carried and sheltered
its own weight 
of nests.

— Norman McCaig

I was confused by the name of this poem until I really sat there and thought about it. I think it’s more of a self-portrait than anything else. Regardless, the imagery immediately conjured (and I’m going to sound like a broken record) a specific tree next to Granny’s Bench overlooking the estuary, in Essex.


Featured Image: I didn’t have a picture of the tree I was thinking of, but this one cropped up and felt right. I found this once in a clearing of Wivenhoe Woods – I was wandering off the usual paths on a whim. I’ve never found the clearing again, but I suspect that’s just because the trees have grown in around it.

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