Magnolia by Byron Beynon
Outside the abbey window
facing south,
near the furrowed path
I've walked,
the magnolia tree grows
timeless and mindful
as it shakes in the wind of thought.
There is a quietude here,
a storehouse of untamed depths
beyond anything known.
I have let my shadow
fall on its trunk,
imagined how it felt
with the sun on its bark.
Understanding how
with each season's fraction
it will survive winter's blast,
its primitive roots of place
starless and mysterious
from the virulent frost.
Byron Beynon coordinated Wales' contribution to the anthology Fifty Strong (Heinemann). His poems and essays are featured in several publications including The Trouvaille Review, The London Magazine, Wilderness House Literary Review, Chiron Review and Poetry Salzburg. He is the author of 11 collections of poetry including Cuffs (Rack Press) and The Echoing Coastline (Agenda Editions). He lives in Swansea, Wales.