“The Apple Tree” published at Chewers & Masticadores

On By Mike U.In Poetry

I’m happy to announce my poem “The Apple Tree” has been published at Chewers & Masticadores. Much gratitude goes to editor Nolcha Fox and her team for this opportunity to share my poetry with their readers. I’m honored and humbled to have my work published alongside some incredibly talented writers at Chewers & Masticadores. Deepest thanks, Nolcha!

“The Apple Tree”

“The apple tree
Behind the house
Has long ago
Stopped bearing fruit

It stands alone
In sickness bold
Half its branches
Dead or dying…”

I’d be pleased if you’d read the rest of my poem by clicking this link. Also, be sure to follow and subscribe to Chewers & Masticadores. It’s a wonderful place for those who love writing.

39 thoughts on ““The Apple Tree” published at Chewers & Masticadores”

    1. Thank you so much. Glad to know you enjoyed this one. It’s inspired by my late mother and her failing health in the latter years of her life. She suffered a lot due to many medical issues, yet she always tried her best to keep a smile on her face. She eventually succumbed, as we all will, and it left me with so many unanswered (and unanswerable) questions regarding the whole point of everything in life, why people suffer, why bad things happen to good people, etc. It’s been eight years since her death, and it seems so recent, you know? Anyway, thank you for your ever-present kindness and support. I appreciate it so much. 🙂

      Liked by 3 people

      Reply

      1. I am sorry for your loss, Mike. After much suffering, my mother left this earth over thirty years ago, and I can honestly say that time has not resolved these issues for me. Your poem is a lovely tribute that will resonate with anyone asking these same questions about life…and death. Your words are a blessing for those of us who don’t easily express the feelings. Thank you.

        Liked by 3 people

      2. Oh Mike, your words stroke me. As you know my mother died in January after struggling against a very nasty cancer. She gad had 2 other cancers before. She never gave up and she enjoyed life until her last whisper. Your poems are always so evocative and beautiful. Thank you! 💙

        Like

    1. Thanks, David. The futility of life, indeed… My late mom suffered a lot in her final years due to an array of medical conditions (as well as being in a decades-long marriage to an abuser). Like this apple tree (which actually existed and perhaps still does), she clung to life despite the pain, her smile betraying her struggles. She was the sunlight in our dark family, the glue who kept everything from falling apart. And she suffered. That apple tree behind the farm house reminded me so much of her as it reached its own bony fingers to the sky as if begging for solace that never came. There are unanswerable questions that plague us all our lives regarding the whole point of existence. I suppose this is the meaning of this poem: needless suffering, and seemingly all for naught. Anyway, I appreciate your thoughtful comments so much. Thanks as always for stopping by, good sir. 🙂

      Liked by 3 people

      Reply

    2. A quick update: my older sister read this poem today and told me the backstory of the origin of this apple tree. Apparently my mom had tossed an apple core out into the grass behind the house many years before…and the seeds from that core sprouted and grew into this tree. Talk about coming full-circle… I had no idea about the genesis of this tree, and now that I do, it makes it all the more profound and special to me. Wow! Just thought I’d share this with you and anyone else who reads the comments for this poem. 🙂

      Liked by 5 people

      Reply

    1. Thanks so much, Peggy. I really appreciate your kind support. This poem has always held a special place in my heart. I saw that apple tree every day while growing up on the farm– the same farm where my mom was raised. And today I found out from my older sister that it was my mom who planted that apple tree quite by accident when, as a teen, she tossed an apple core on the ground and it eventually took root and grew into the same tree featured in this poem inspired by my mom. How cool is that? 😀 I never knew this until today and it adds a whole new layer of meaning to this poem for me. Life is strange, you know? Anyway, thanks a bunch for your wonderful and constant support. It means so much to me and I’m grateful to you for being here. 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

    1. Many thanks, Ashley, for your nice comment, and I’m truly sorry for your loss. I lost my mom eight years ago and it still feels like it only just happened. She shows up in my poetry now and then, and I’m glad for that. And I’ll always have memories of that apple tree behind the house, especially now that I found out that my mom was responsible for its planting. Life comes around full-circle sometimes, you know? Thanks again for your kindness, my friend. I appreciate it. 🙂

      Like

      Reply

    1. Thank you kindly, Lauren. I’m so pleased to know you liked this piece. It’s a special one for me, and I’m glad it resonates with people. Your kindness is very much appreciated, my friend! 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  9. In reading through the comments, Mike, I saw that the poem was about the tree, but also about your mother. I’m so sorry that she spent the end of her life in pain. How tragic for both of you. Thank you for sharing, my friend. Hugs.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    1. Kindest thanks, Diana. That tree was a constant companion throughout my childhood. Every time I looked out my bedroom window, there it was, its branches very nearly within arm’s reach. It’s strange how certain things stick with us for so long, seemingly random, prosaic things and experiences that become a part of us. That apple tree is still in my heart. I always root for the underdogs, the downtrodden, those who suffer, those less fortunate. The parallels between this tree and my mom’s declining health were readily apparent, and I wished I could have cured both of them, alleviated their pain and given them peace and hope. My mom died eight years ago. I haven’t been to the farm since then so I don’t know if the apple tree still lives, but I hope it does. If its journey has come to an end as well, at least it will always remain alive in my memories, just like my mom. Apple trees are unique and lend themselves so easily to poetic interpretation, you know? Anyway, thanks as always for your kindness, my friend. I appreciate you. 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

      1. Trees are amazing creatures, aren’t they? And so often metaphors for human experience. That makes sense to me since we are, thorough our very existence, “of the planet.” We have more in common, I believe, than we realize.

        Liked by 2 people

    2. Dear Mike and Diana,

      Congratulations to you, Mike, on having your poem entitled “The Apple Tree” published at MasticadoresIndia.

      Your poem has touched me deeply and rendered me pensive, as I can resonate and empathize with your reflections on life and your enduring memory of your late mother through your observation of Nature in general and the apple tree in particular.

      Insofar as one never ceases to love and miss those who had featured so much in our lives in many endearing ways, I would like to express my condolences to you. A special acknowledgement is also due to you for your expressing so commendably well regarding the lingering thoughts and feelings concerning your mother’s pain and suffering brought by old age. Likewise, I still miss my late mother very dearly every day of my life, given that I have had a very close relationship with my late mother, as can be witnessed in my very detailed, multipronged and poignant examination of mortality and filiality in my expansive post entitled “Khai & Khim: For Always and Beyond Goodbye“, which has been composed as something very significant for posterity in the form of a very special multimedia eulogy-cum-memoir-cum-biography. You can easily locate this post from the Home page of my blog. The post also contains my musical compositions dedicated to my mother. In addition, it even includes her wedding video, something that was quite rare in the 1960s.

      May you and Diana find the second half 2022 very much to your liking and highly conducive to your publishing, writing, reading, thinking and blogging whatever topics that appeal to your intellectual exploration and introspection!

      Wishing both of you a productive and fruitful July doing or enjoying whatever that satisfies you the most, whether aesthetically, physically, intellectually or spiritually!

      Yours sincerely,
      SoundEagle

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      1. Thanks so much, SoundEagle. Your wonderful tribute to your beloved mother was both fascinating and deeply moving. Such a full life she lived! And to have you with her in such a profound capacity in her latter years shows the love you held for her. What a beautiful family. I’m so sorry for your loss. Thanks as always for your kindness and for taking time to stop by and visit. Much appreciated, my friend. 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

  10. rajkkhoja's avatar rajkkhoja

    Nice poem of Apple tree. Amazing words write upin.
    Congratulations, Mike!
    Well deserved! A hauntingly beautiful poem that speaks to all who mourn a loss.
    Thanks lot you sharing gift. Iam so happy 😊!

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    1. Kindest thanks, my friend. I’m so glad to know you liked this poem about a very special apple tree. Sometimes small things mean so much to us, and this tree will always have a place in my heart because of how it reminds me of my mom, who passed away eight years ago. I’m truly grateful for your kindness, dear friend! 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  12. Congratulations, Mike! This is incredibly beautiful! The vivid imagery is captivating, and the smooth flow makes one want to start over the very moment it ends. This apple tree is truly special.😊

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    1. Thanks, Aaysid. I appreciate your thoughtful comments so much. I haven’t been to the farm in almost eight years so I don’t know if this apple tree is still hanging on, but I hope it is. Certain things always tie us to certain people or places or memories, and this one is a reminder of my late mom, who grew up on that farm and sort of accidentally planted that apple tree when she was a teenager. Life is full of unique coincidences, isn’t it? 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

Leave a comment