Redwood Counselors

The below is a computer-generated response from Neo, Neopoet’s AI:

This poem explores the gradual understanding and acceptance of love, using the redwood forest as a central metaphor. The opening lines establish a sense of emotional distance and uncertainty: “Love was like wind. / I could sense it all around her, / but I could not see any use for it.” This simile effectively conveys the speaker’s initial inability to grasp love’s purpose or presence, setting up the poem’s emotional arc.

The shift occurs as the speaker and the other person walk among the redwoods. The trees are personified as wise, ancient counselors, their “red-barked and towering” forms suggesting endurance and perspective. The poem’s middle section uses tactile imagery (“deep crevices / furrowed in the rough and weathered bark”) to show the speaker’s attempt to connect and learn, both from the environment and from the experience of love itself.

The poem’s strongest moments are in its use of the trees as silent observers and advisors. The “murmurs perhaps, of their discontent with me” introduces a subtle tension, hinting at the speaker’s insecurity or sense of unworthiness. The closing lines, where the redwoods “whispered / through a restless and knowing breeze, / ‘Let her in and don’t look back,’” resolve this tension with a clear, almost oracular command, suggesting that wisdom comes from openness and trust.

To further develop the poem, consider clarifying the relationship between the speaker and the “her” referenced. The emotional progression is clear, but the poem could benefit from more specific details or moments that ground the relationship in concrete experience. Additionally, the phrase “I could not see any use for it” is somewhat utilitarian and contrasts with the poem’s otherwise lyrical tone; rephrasing it might maintain the poem’s mood.

Overall, the poem’s structure and imagery are coherent, and the metaphor of the redwoods as counselors is sustained throughout. The poem invites the reader to consider the role of patience, nature, and self-reflection in the process of learning to love.

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Hello, Michael.
Wise counseling, indeed! "I reached out to feel the deep crevices..." This entire stanza brings me comfort and love. I can feel it as I read your beautiful poetry.
Thank you!
L