Poems About Plants: Nature's Song

Poems about plants allow us to delve into the mystical world of nature, exploring the beauty and interconnectedness of all living things. As we witness the delicate petals, leaves dancing in the wind, and the perseverance of life force despite adversity, we are reminded of the profound lessons that plants can teach us. In this article, we will be immersing ourselves in a collection of captivating poems that celebrate the awe-inspiring allure of plants.

The Enchanting Allure of Flora

Most of us have experienced the sensation of being captivated by the mesmerizing beauty of a blooming flower or the gentle rustling of leaves in a quiet forest. These moments of connection with nature often inspire poets to translate their emotions into words, capturing the essence of plant life through their verses.

Wildflowers by Mary Oliver

```
You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
For a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
Love what it loves.
Tell me about your despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile, the world goes on.
Meanwhile, the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
Are moving across the landscapes,
Over the prairies and the deep trees,
The mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile, the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
Are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
The world offers itself to your imagination,
Calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting -
Over and over announcing your place
In the family of things.
```

In her poem, Mary Oliver reminds us that plants, even mere wildflowers, hold the power to awaken our senses and connect us with our surroundings. She encourages us to embrace our true nature, letting our bodies love what they love, just as plants unapologetically thrive and blossom.

I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud by William Wordsworth

```
I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the Milky Way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced, but they
Outdid the sparkling waves in glee;
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company!
I gazed—and gazed—but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.
```

William Wordsworth, in his famous poem, takes us on a journey where he encounters a field of golden daffodils. The metaphorical connection he draws between the daffodils and his own emotions allows us to understand the power that plants hold in evoking profound feelings of joy and inspiration.

Lessons from the Green Kingdom

Beyond their aesthetic beauty, plants can teach us invaluable lessons about resilience, growth, and interconnectedness. By observing plants, we gain a glimpse into the intricate harmony that exists in nature and understand our place within it.

When I Am Among the Trees by Mary Oliver

```
When I am among the trees,
especially the willows and the honey locust,
equally the beech, the oaks, and the pines,
they give off such hints of gladness.
I am so distant from the hope of myself,
in which I have goodness, and discernment,
and never hurry through the world
but walk slowly, and bow often.
Around me the trees stir in their leaves
and call out, "Stay awhile."
The light flows from their branches.
And they call again, "It's simple," they say,
"and you too have come
into the world to do this, to go easy,
to be filled with light, and to shine."
```

Mary Oliver's poem, once again, conveys the transformative power of plants. As the poet immerses herself among the trees, she finds solace and wisdom. The trees beckon her to slow down, savor life's simple pleasures, and embrace her purpose: to be a vessel of light and shine, just as they do.

The Peace of Wild Things by Wendell Berry

```
When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children's lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water,
and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world and am free.
```

In this profound poem by Wendell Berry, he experiences a moment of respite amidst troubling times by seeking solace in the wilderness. The wild things teach him that true peace is found when we release our anxieties and find solace in the present moment, just as nature does.

Celebrating the Botanical Symphony

As we wander through life, surrounded by vibrant blossoms and verdant foliage, we come to realize that we are but players in nature's symphony. Plants, with their remarkable ability to flourish against all odds, remind us of the cycles of life, rebirth, and eternal growth.

Epiphyte by Jamaal May

```
The difference between a crimson snail
and its shell’s sharp angle of attack
is a muscle of slow growth and tension.
I walk through gates betrayed by vines
of devastated weight; each ember afterglow
is predated and crowded to extinction.
I spin until the giddiness in me unspools
thread after invisible thread back
to a time when birds threw smoke balls
and sent back firebombs like tennis balls.
The godseeds dormant in my body bear
new epiphytes in forests sprung from ash.
My lungs wet with air’s thick fuel mix
nourish epiphytic flowers haloed in mist.
```

In Jamaal May's poem, he contemplates the delicate balance between growth and tension, drawing parallels between plant life and his own experiences. As the poet envisions himself as a vessel of rebirth and renewal, he realizes that even amidst destruction, new life blooms—an affirmation of the wondrous resilience that plants exemplify.

Under Stars by Sarah Lindsay

```
When Ralphie was born, I planted
a pin oak for her future.
Earth, animate, swallowed
the vandal’s scrabble and the borrowed shovel.
Lower than I thought and rocky,
the hole took a while, hammering trowel and foot.
I’m sorry, you know—a tree for my girl,
to stand sentinel as night storms rattle shutters,
as stars fall—
Armor and helmet, I measure her straight.
Over Ralphie’s bedroom,
like lightning in twilight from stormclouds unseen,
stars especially bright grow.
Look up there,
I say, whispering
over the tomb
of someone who never was:
That’s your tree, silhouetted against the sky,
light years up there. Don’t worry.
You’ll never be lonely.
```

Within Sarah Lindsay's poignant poem, she commemorates the birth of her daughter through the planting of a pin oak. The tree, a symbol of strength and steadfastness, serves as a constant reminder that in the vast cosmos, her daughter will always find solace and companionship—an eternal connection to nature.

Poems about plants paint vivid pictures of the botanical world, evoking emotions and insights tied to our own existence. Whether it be through the delicate beauty of a flower, the wisdom found in the trees, or the resilience demonstrated by plants in the face of adversity, nature continues to inspire poets to explore the deeper connections that bind us all. Through these poems, we are reminded to embrace the teachings and splendor of plants, forever entwined in nature's exquisite tapestry.