about "Grow a tree"
The previous post - “Grow a tree” was a Haiku poem which is a short form poem from Japan. Haiku’s in English are similar constrained poems.
Typical characteristics (from wikipedia) are-
a focus on nature or the seasons
a division into two asymmetrical sections that juxtaposes two subjects (e.g. something natural and something human-made, two unexpectedly similar things, etc.)
a contemplative or wistful tone and an impressionistic brevity
no superfluous words, but avoiding a "telegram style" syntax
an emphasis on imagery over exposition
avoidance of metaphor and similes
non-rhyming lines
Some additional traits are especially associated with English-language haiku (as opposed to Japanese-language haiku):
a three-line format with 17 syllables arranged in a 5–7–5 pattern; However, many contemporary haiku poets work in poems containing 10 to 14 syllables, which more nearly approximates the duration of a Japanese haiku. Usually, the second line is the longest. Some poets want their haiku to be expressed in one breath.
little or no punctuation or capitalization, except that cuts are sometimes marked with dashes or ellipses and proper nouns are usually capitalized.
I have this sapling growing in my backyard. I’ve often wondered about the tree. I’ve been drafting a post about it for a while. But last night when I finally got to it, instead of writing more it felt more appropriate to write less.
The tree exists. But the metaphor in the poem is intentional.