Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Catalog of Trees" by James Applewhite is a reflective journey through a landscape rich with history, memory, and the natural world's persistent cycle of life and decay. The poem opens with a sense of aimlessness, as the speaker wanders through a forest floor thick with fallen leaves, their textures and sounds evoking a connection to the past. The leaves are compared to leather book bindings, suggesting stories and histories contained within the landscape, waiting to be read and understood.

As the speaker moves through the forest, the imagery of trees—hickories, sycamores, tulip poplars—paints a picture of a world both beautiful and tinged with the passage of time. The sycamores, with their white-on-white bark, stand out as giraffes in a savannah of memories, their presence both ghostly and grounding. The air is filled with the essence of woodsmoke, a sensory reminder of life that once thrived in this place, now only visible through the lens of memory and the natural remnants left behind.

The poem delves deeper into the historical and personal significance of the landscape, uncovering layers of human presence and absence. A trickle in the ditch, glittering with rust, conjures images of domestic life and labor, while the mention of wash on a line evokes the mundane yet vital tasks that once filled the days of those who lived here. The speaker's encounter with the names carved into the beech tree serves as a direct link to the past, a tangible record of lives that intersected with this land.

Applewhite masterfully weaves together the physical and the ephemeral, creating a tapestry of connection between the speaker, the landscape, and the generations that have interacted with it. The light that permeates the poem is both literal and metaphorical, illuminating the scene while highlighting the passage of time and the transitory nature of human existence. The poem closes with a sense of continuity, as the speaker's sensory experiences blend with the landscape, suggesting an ongoing cycle of life, memory, and renewal.

"Catalog of Trees" is not just a catalog of the physical features of trees but an exploration of the ways in which the natural world serves as a repository for human history, memory, and emotion. Applewhite invites the reader to consider the deep connections that bind us to the places we inhabit and the legacies we leave behind, all while navigating the shifting landscapes of time and memory.

POEM TEXT: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/browse?volume=142&issue=6&page=5

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