Video poem Audio interview Bio
VIEW POEM: “THE LANGUAGE OF THE TREES” RECITED BY FREDDY NIAGARA FONSECA.
Listen to THE CULTURE BUZZ interview by John Busbee, October 27, 2010. CLICK HERE:
https://public.me.com/freddyniagarafonseca
The Language of the Trees
by Freddy Niagara Fonseca
I never saw a discontented tree.
—John Muir
I
I asked the trees one summer
What they had been thinking of all year.
They wouldn’t say,
But then I heard them wave
And whisper of the ages—
Seasons—
Years, and months, and days—
And countless hours
Of abundant happiness!
II
I like the tales they tell me.
Autumn makes them talk of leaving all,
And yet they stay,
And as they drop their leaves,
They muse for weeks on April—
Thrushes—
Stars and lingering Indian summers—
Rain—
And latent loneliness . . .
III
Their voice is low in winter.
Snow and icy winds are on their minds,
And they withdraw;
But in their winter dreams
You hear how branches sing,
And think of dawn—
The sun in distant countries—
Warmth—
And summer peacefulness.
IV
How grand they are each season—
Often have I seen them stand like kings!
A certain awe
Surrounds their splendid forms,
And so they wait for spring—
For flowers—
Verdant prairies—
Butterflies in May—
And simple loveliness.
V
And then they speak of lovers!
Sudden colors spread their message fast,
And every year
Their many stories bloom,
And nourish noble pages—
Poems—
Gorgeous music—
Heart and mind
With endless youthfulness.
VI
And so we welcome summer . . .
All day long they stand and think and dream,
And all we hear
Is how they wave again
And whisper of the ages—
Seasons—
Years, and months, and days—
And countless hours
Of unending happiness . . .
© 1988 Freddy Niagara Fonseca
Freddy Niagara Fonseca, Renaissance man, poet, dramatic reader, impresario, and creator of THIS ENDURING GIFT has immersed himself in the arts all his life and has read tens of thousands of poems in five languages. In 2004 he founded the Candlelight Reading Series, and in 2007, the Chamber Music Society Fairfield.
With the collaboration of expressive readers, musicians, dancers, and actors, he has presented over 50 poetry readings on universal themes culled from poetry of all styles, eras, and cultures. He regularly invites noteworthy musicians — statewide, nationwide, and internationally — to perform chamber music in Fairfield, Iowa.
Freddy Niagara Fonseca believes that poetry and the whole world will drastically change once a new, spiritual paradigm of consciousness and language emerges. Poetry will then be experienced, written, and appreciated in universal terms, and a sublime awareness of the Earth will manifest.
He has lived in Fairfield for over 20 years and calls it home.