Forestry — Summary

Dave BontaContemplative

from timber I learn a thin plain thought

which I may remember if ever it should come forth

in a true place to stand still and do nothing

and I have a little wine like rain for supper

Show the whole poemHide the poem

Learn Poems app

Try the Learn Poems app

Everything from the website trainer, and more: new exercises, voice recording and sharing, reminders, quick review.

The speaker says they learn something from timber, from wood and trees, and what they learn is modest: "a thin plain thought." It isn't a grand lesson. It's simple enough that it might slip away, so the speaker hopes to remember it if it ever comes up again "in a true place." The thought itself is to "stand still and do nothing," which is exactly what a tree does.

The poem ends on a small, homely image: a little wine "like rain for supper." Wine and rain connect the speaker's meal to the natural world, as if even supper is something the forest might provide.

The mood is quiet, humble, and content. Nothing is rushed or forced. The speaker doesn't claim wisdom, only a gentle willingness to be still and take what little is given. The short lines and plain words add to that calm, leaving plenty of silence around each idea.

Read also

More by Dave Bonta

All poems
ContemplativeDave Bonta

Plea bargain

I hear half a beat of drum to serve time have half a hope in the meantime praise God
DreamyDave Bonta

Cibola 3

I awake in the dark and shake free of sheets & blankets, of down-filled quilt. The rituals of waking– the long, hot shower, the coffee–give
ContemplativeDave Bonta

In good light

On a maple’s pale bark, a zigzag ladder—old tooth-marks from a wandering snail? Green islands of moss