There’s nothing you can’t turn into a poem, be it a dead tree or a to-do list, which Clyde Verhine and Carol Mohor illustrate in the poems below. Try it yourself!
I, the fallen
By: Clyde Virhine
I once stood tall, my limbs stretched wide,
Growing from a seed, I reached my stride.
My leaves were green, my trunk was strong,
I held my ground, endured so long.
Through summer warmth and winter’s chill,
I bent and swayed, but stood tall still.
Then time itself weighed upon my form,
It grew harder and harder to bear the storm.
The rain once danced upon my skin,
Then time stole my strength and wore me thin.
But still, within my aging core,
A wish remained, a dream for more.
Hopes for the beauty of another spring,
And the long cold winter to lose its sting.
But winter winds, that once I cast away
Stole my strength, and made me sway.
My journey was done, my roots let go,
I shuddered, broke, and crashed below.
I could not fight, I could not flee,
And then the sky felt far from me.
Even though I fell, and soon will fade,
My soul still lingers inside the glade.
Perhaps a sprout will rise anew,
Where once my mighty branches grew.
Clyde Verhine, 74, was born and raised in Georgia. He came to Athens in 1968 to enroll at UGA. He married and moved to Madison County in 1980 and continues to live there. He and his wife have three daughters and five grandchildren. He retired from Overhead Door Corporation.
Hygiene
By: Alice Mohor
Illustrated by: Carol Mohor
to ready for
a night of sleep
a regimen
i now must keep
in order to
prevent decay
recession or
wearing away
before i brush
i waterpik
then floss or thread
no part done quick
too wide awake
i lie and stare
lamenting all
this dental care
Alice Louise Mohor began writing rhyming poetry for her elementary physical education students and continues to write for children and adults in retirement.
Carol Jean Mohor began illustrating her sister’s rhyming poetry while teaching elementary art.
