Bark & Ink

If growth had a colourWhat would it be?The whitewash of loveOr the deep blues of grief?Or buttery yellowsFrom when we're at peace?Would growth be inked out in blackFrom the rages it's seen?Maybe... perhaps growth is just green.A bit brown at the rootsAnd flowers in seasonPre-determined by themeOf God, loss or loveOr maybe all three.See I've been doing some thinkingAnd have come to believeThat growth isn't one colourBut a glorious medley.- TEE BAKERBark and Ink is a journey of words on growth. Baker reflects from the moment seeds are first sown into the earth and foundations are laid, to the far reaching roots of faith and love beneath the dark surface, before eventually blossoming into green shoots of realisation, new beginnings and hope. Readers are encouraged to accept the blunt and simple truth of it all, from the beat of a butterfly wing signalling new love, to the sour silence surrounding relationships we thought would never go wrong and we would hold onto forever. Each poem is preceded by a single key word and its dictionary definition, sometimes altered to give better personal understanding of the poet, thus inviting us to read between the lines. Whilst growth is always a beautiful process, Baker warns that "sometimes seeds are sown sick. Sometimes roots rot. And sometimes shoots never come to full bloom."