23 Comments
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Michael Newberry's avatar

Wow. Stunning visuals, gives new meaning, at least to me, of what human baggage means.

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Victory Palace's avatar

Thanks Michael! Human baggage isn't just the emotional kind.

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Tom Shaw's avatar

Fun little read! Funny that I've also been working with the trees and their relation to us both with my last poem on Substack (Tree-Eyed Sonnet) and one that I just finished up which parodies rock-a-bye baby in the context of war. Good to see I'm not the only poet with their eyes on this!

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Victory Palace's avatar

Great poets think alike, eh? Thanks for the repost as well Tom! Appreciate you.

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Katie Kamala  Haley's avatar

I love trees more than most people!

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Charlotte Pendragon's avatar

I love trees! And I love this Victory Palace!

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Victory Palace's avatar

Thanks a million Charlotte! I look at them every day while standing on the platform waiting for my train. That’s how I’ve gotten to know them 🌳🌳🌳

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Charlotte Pendragon's avatar

I love trees! And they communicate. It breaks my heart when one is taken down for no reason. 😞

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Victory Palace's avatar

They sure do. When one is taken down it’s an act of tree-son. (Say, maybe that will wind up in a future poem!).

Thanks for the inspiration Charlotte and working your magic on this 😉✨

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Tamy Faierman M.D.'s avatar

Love this personification contemplation!

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Victory Palace's avatar

Haha, thank you so much for checking it out.

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Tamy Faierman M.D.'s avatar

My pleasure, love it! I’ll be back.

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Kiana Donae's avatar

Wow Vic. This is a visual beauty of written thought. Loved it. And I'm finally back on Substack!!!!!! 🖤

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Victory Palace's avatar

Thanks also for your kind comments 🙏🙏🙏

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Victory Palace's avatar

Good. I’m glad 🧡

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The Word Herder's avatar

Oh, I was right in there, in the story, for that moment of the telling.

Trees MUST live! Long must they live!

Let us end the abuse of our Earth...

I love your poetry, VP. xo xo xo

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Victory Palace's avatar

1000 thanks Word Herder! That means a lot to me. Very grateful to you 🙏🙏🙏

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The Word Herder's avatar

I am thanking you. ^_^

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Susan Harley's avatar

Enjoyed your poem & the tree tongues !

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Victory Palace's avatar

🙏🙏🙏🥰

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Patrick Jordan's avatar

I've never posted anything contentious after one of your poems, but my unfiltered, knee Jerk, reflex reaction was:

"BLIND" TREES!!!!

With Apple Oh Geez for lack of sleep: I didn't read you right.

After I got done with the piece I went back to the top (like starting an ear of corn from the next line on the typewriter) to realize that you OPENED WITH TREES and then likened (lichened?) the Humanitrees as the BLIND COUSINS.

For indeed they are.

So here's an amusing personal Ann Nick Dote:

I was so loopy this morning and into the afternoon that when I started reading government publications I understood the goofy language for the first time. Been at a particular document for about a year.

By evening I'm still slap-happy but I'm reading your real human language and tripped over a single word that was written in context but I think I twisted my ankle on the context. Maybe it was just my twisted mind.

Public Service Announcement: Do NOT read poetry when sleep deprived. Read government documents if you want to be depraved. Always trust your local poet to know the difference between a tree and a human.

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Victory Palace's avatar

Hahaha...no worries PJ. Thanks for moving to that second row of corn for another read on the lines. And yes, YOU GOT IT (of course you did). We, WE are the blind cousins of the trees, obsessed with our little nothings and evolving into nothingness (at least the NPCs).

That gooferment languish...the smarter you are, the more of loop it will whirpool you mind into. As I'm sure you know, it's designed that way, no thanks to those (un)phree may sun ick chingas who've been phucking our system ever since the con sti poo shun days when we were hookwinked into thinking we were free.

Love the PSA btw.

Have a great week! VP

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Apr 6
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Victory Palace's avatar

1000 thanks Dr. Dream! Sure, why not?

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