The Poet Tree Project -Some Reflections

When the Covid Pandemic spread across the world, I began a number of projects as a response to some of the pessimism that arose within my community and beyond.

I became inspired by the incredible creativity and resilience that simultaneously arose at this time in various parts of the world. Some great diversionary tactics were called upon to stop a predictable descent into darker places.  I felt a need to act. I began with an anthology of poems-'The Covid Chronicles' which have become part of an Australia Post time capsule. I shared many of those poems on social media platforms.

 The Poet Tree  project commenced in August 2020. I decided to post a poem on a large eucalypt tree in the  Fisherman's Beach Reserve directly behind our house. We are able to access this greened space via a gate.

Every day, people walk  along this greened, open area with their dogs, children, friends. The idea was to share a short poem sprinkled with humour and optimism in the hope it would lift the collective spirits- mine included. Occasionally, other poets attached poems to the tree. I have also received feedback in the form of appreciative notes and stories of people looking forward to each new poem. From my study window I saw and heard people stopping to read  poems attached to the tree. That gave me quite a buzz...

Each poem remained posted for approximately 2 weeks before being replaced. After their time in the wilds, the poems were  brought inside and given a safe resting place within one of my writer's notebooks. Some come back a little tattered and torn, but I am able to salvage them for poetic posterity. 

 It became the humble poetry project that just kept going. It had set no time limit for its duration.  So, even after the worst days of Covid had subsided, I continued to post poems on the tree. I just kept the poetry coming. 

 Recently though, an intense storm swept through our neighbourhood and obliterated the poem I had posted. I felt mother nature was telling me something.

So now, after more than 3 years I have decided to conclude this little project and focus on some new projects. Across the intervening years more than seventy poems have been shared on the tree. That gives me much satisfaction. 

I hope that in some small way the poems posted have provided some measure of hope, inspiration, introspection and humour to the many wanderers who have negotiated the reserve on their coddiwomples (purposeful meanderings).

I enjoyed sharing these poems immensely, when from my study, I heard people passing by stopping to read the posted poem. Sometimes to their dog, sometimes to a partner or friend, sometimes to their children. Such is the enduring power of poetry to reach our hearts. It’s been a pleasure for me to reach out with words and share a small part of my poetic passion.  I shall now reset my sights for the next poetry project. 

Here are a few from an extensive collection of Poet Tree poems:













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