Catalpa Tree In The District (Final Version) Comments

An elegy for catalpa tree! let me quote from this beautiful poem, 'since the workmen came and sawed the tree down to the ground where its orphaned birds fluttered around the stump; mystified why should it die because it soared and spread its heart helplessly over the wires; '

That's how I felt when two pin oaks near my rental room in L.A. were cut down... grand native trees that take centuries to grow. The city allowed eucalyptus trees that guzzle water, but it sent men to get rid of the 'fire hazard, ' which was patently false.. They were gentle survivors.

Autobiographical threads are important to anchor a poetic oeuvre. Without biography, we would lose traction. Poetry without biography is like a long phone call, during which we are swept up in discourse and don't even see what's in front of our eyes.

Memories are like bunches of grapes. Your memory of the catalpa broadens until we see the setting; we learn something about what your feelings were invested in while you lived in the yellow house..