This is a poem about a tree.
It’s about a tree in winter,
with all its branches bereft of leaves.
The tree represents the poet’s family
(family tree – clever, right?)
and the fact the leaves are gone
represents the fact the poet’s family
has somehow disintegrated.
In the poem, the poet
is standing and looking at the tree
from a distance. That distance
represents the distance
the poet feels from his family.
The sky overhead is dark
which represents the poet’s mood.
But! A dove comes to perch
on one of the branches! The dove,
of course, represents peace.
The poet is at peace.
Or the poet’s family.
(See how ambiguity is key!)
The poem doesn’t rhyme,
which of course represents
the disordered state of the poet’s mind.
Not like yours, one hopes.
You have thirty minutes.
Begin.
