Gwyneth Liew 2D/06

I looked upon this crimson red hibiscus and was struck by how perfect it looked. It is a beautiful flower, but if I had gone to the Botanic Gardens that day without an assignment in mind, I would have probably overlooked it. It would have remained forgotten. Stepping on the fallen leaves and assorted flowers on the pathway, it occured to me that nobody realises that they are trampling on nature's works. They lie there, unseen. We have studied that man has lost touch with nature, and has forgotten to appreciate its beauty. Hence in my poem, I emphasize the lost connection and lost love between man and nature. This is because man no longer truly sees nature nor recognises its beauty.

Diamonds in the tree

This is beauty, she said.
This is the beauty of nature.
Crimson floods my eyes,
I do not see it.

This tree, she said.
This is the tree of life.
The leaves fall, hurled earthward by the wind,
I do not see it.

A flash of crimson and green,
Now strewn like paint on the pavement.
Is this the beauty of nature? Is this the tree of life?
The rain has crushed them into obedience.

I see a picture, she said.
I see a picture on the pavement.
It is a picture of forgotten beauty,
And grief over a lost love.

Look, there are diamonds in the tree.
I cannot see it.
Look closer.


- Gwyneth Liew 2D/06