Poetry Journey #18

"The Oaks" - Revisiting My Metaphor

When Is Repetition Exploration?

This week's poem:

The Oaks

Two oaks stand tall, their branches reaching,
Each shaped by wind, by rain, by time.
Separate, yet strong in their own right,
Their trunks steady, their leaves open to the sky.
Beneath the surface, unseen but certain,
Their roots stretch, seeking, finding.
They meet, they twist, they hold—
Not in entanglement, but in quiet understanding.
Together, they drink deeper, grow fuller,
Anchored by the unseen bond
That makes them not just two,
But one, stronger than before.

My Dilemma: This is basically the same metaphor as "Two Oaks" but in free verse. Is this redundancy or exploration?

What's Different:

• Free verse allows for more natural language

• More focus on the underground connection

• Less rhyme-driven, more image-driven

• "Not in entanglement, but in quiet understanding" feels more mature

What's Similar:

• Same basic metaphor

• Same theme of partnership

• Risk of feeling redundant

Technical Questions:

• Does the free verse version work better than the rhymed version?

• Are the line breaks purposeful?

• Is "stronger than before" too predictable an ending?

The Redundancy Problem: Should I have two oak poems in my collection? Which version is stronger?

What I'm Learning: Sometimes I need to try the same idea in different forms to find what works best.

Questions for Readers:

• Which version of the oak poem do you prefer?

• Does this feel redundant or like a valid exploration?

• Which technical approach serves the metaphor better?

• How do you decide when you're exploring vs. repeating yourself?