floodwaters
This time of year, along the St. John River, we watch for floodwaters. For some, whose homes may be threatened by the flood, this means worry. For others, it means a road along the river may be closed until the waters recede. For me, it is a time to watch for the return of the Canada Geese. It is also a time to see what interesting cargo the floodwaters carry.
All along the river, there will be huge wheels of root… the remains of trees ripped from the river’s banks and carried along with the floodwaters. These ‘root wheels’ come to rest on the river’s edges, stranded by the falling waters. Washed clean of the soil, the roots show us the underpinnings of the trees and reveal what goes on beneath the ground, where we ordinarily cannot see.
~
~
Windthrow
~
another scar
in the clearcut
~
one crooked pine
left sentinel
to watch shoots and brambles
scramble for sun
~
wind thrown in silence
(no ears to hear)
seedlings
patted in by Boy Scouts
crushed
~
roots and fibre, exposed
clots of clay
dripping rock, wounded
rootlets, oozing sap
~
overturned war wagon
mighty axle, broken
wheel of matted roots, still
spinning, earth upended
~
a crater dug in regolith
~
a new shelter
from the wind, rain
sprouting seeds
in mineral
and fallen leaves
~
~
Published as: ‘Windthrow’, The Cormorant XI (1): 100 (Fall 94)
© Jane Tims 1994
nichepoetryandprose 
I’d never heard them called ‘root wheels’ before, nice name for them!
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Watching Seasons
April 4, 2012 at 9:18 pm
Thanks! Jane
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jane tims
April 5, 2012 at 6:55 am
“Wheels of root.” That’s a great name for them. I used to live by a river and spring was when I’d wander along the shore, looking to see what the floods brought in.
Wonderful poem, Jane.
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Robin
April 4, 2012 at 4:54 pm
Hi Robin. I wonder if there is anything that hasn’t shown up on a flood shore at one time or another! Thanks, Jane
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jane tims
April 5, 2012 at 6:50 am
The poem is wonderful! Great rhythm, great images. I love that I had to look up the word “regolith” in the dictionary.
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weedimageoftheday
April 2, 2012 at 1:02 pm
Hi. Thanks! I think words about geology are only surpassed by words about plants. Jane
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jane tims
April 2, 2012 at 5:27 pm
Lovely poem and post, Jane.
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dfb
April 2, 2012 at 8:29 am
Hi. I saw your new painting on my Tags survey this morning. Your work is instantly recognizable. Jane
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jane tims
April 2, 2012 at 5:24 pm