Manitoba Poetry Magazine

Manitoba Poetry Magazine –

"Told Many Things" by Keely O'Brien

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September 15th, 2026

Manitoba Poetry Contest #2 – First Place

Told Many Things

by Keely O'Brien

when I was eleven words came to me:  
I am told many things 
I’m told that 
what I see is what I know 
but what I see 
are trees standing row by row 
is that really all I know 
I don’t think so 

when I was twenty-three my mind echoed: 
I know trees get planted 
I remember back to the train 
those rows still haunt me 
artificial, in two-ways slanted 
the world looks less innocent 
 
trees don’t grow that way where I am from 
not where their forebearers placed them 
and the forest floor should’ve graced beneath 
suspiciously empty 
the ground lays beneath

About the Poet
Keely O'Brien resides in Wanless, Manitoba, Canada.
Read the poet's biography and Wax Poetry and Art publications on Keely O'Brien's Artist Page.

This poem is also featured in Poetry World #16, published in the Wax Poetry and Art Library.

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Previously published in Manitoba Poetry Magazine:
Elegy Written in Muskeg, Before the Thaw
by David Anson Lee

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