Poem of the Day
Today's Poem of the Day is 'The Tree', from Anna Woodford's 'Party Piece' – a winner in the 2008/09 Poetry Business competition.
THE TREE
When I raise my foot
off the ground, in line
with all the other women
and the couple of men,
I am expressing myself
simply as a woman
with a raised foot.
When I raise my hands
above my head, they are
swept up in a movement
of hands: of wrists and
of fingers. I hold
my position on an un
equal footing in the yoga
group. At the far
corner of the room, shoes
cool their heels, our coats
are left hanging
while we turn – in our minds’
eyes – into trees. We are
posturing as a forest
together though December hard-
hits the window, our right
knees are unbending, our green
fingers are budding. The odd
rumble from a trunk, a
tumbling foot reveals
the nature of this spot.
We are only human, it is
written all over our faces.
As a tree, I make a
good woman standing
on one leg. I know
what I must look like
and I’m happy with that.
– Anna Woodford, from 'Party Piece' (2009)
The Poetry Business receives financial assistance from Arts Council England.
