Arvilla Fee – A Serengeti Cornfield

Seasoned with gratitude and appreciation, the imagery evoked in Arvilla Fee’s “A Serengeti Cornfield” sticks to the ribs. Arvilla’s poem is centered around a singular tree, obviously beloved and appreciated by generations of farmers and also be the narrator herself. The care and intention shown the tree also leaves the sweet flavor of compassion for the wild world in the ingredients of “A Serengeti Cornfield”. Arvilla shared a story about the tree in her poem with The Dewdrop, explaining, “Near where I live there is a cornfield with one tree in the middle. Over the past twelve years, I’ve seen the field full of crops, and I’ve seen it bare — but always, always that one tree remains. One morning I saw the sun coming up over that field, and since there were no cars coming I literally stopped in the middle of the road, rolled my window down and took the shot. It was a breathtaking moment, and I’ll treasure it forever.” Arvilla’s photo has been included with this poem.

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A Serengeti Cornfield

A lone tree stands in a field,
backlit by a tangerine sun,
a hint of fog skirting its trunk
like a dancer’s gauzy tutu.
It appears strange and exotic
as though I’ve been transported
to the untamed Serengeti.
I envision a herd of giraffes striding past,
their long, graceful necks extended
as they graze on tender leaves.
And I’m suddenly overcome with gratitude,
for the sun that has warmed its branches,
for the rains that have nourished its roots,
for the generations of flannel-clad farmers
who have plowed around its trunk
year after year to plant their beans and corn.
Someone, long ago, thought this single tree
worth saving, and thus it has remained—
an indigenous remnant of nature
on the edge of Mid-West suburbia.

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Read On: Related Posts

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• Gurdjieff and The Two Rivers
• Behind Me – dips Eternity – Emily Dickinson
• Pamela Wax – Capricorn Loses His Star
• Barry Casey – Wait Here