Falling From the Trees — Summary

messagetolContemplative

I watch the leaves Falling from the trees, Which ends A season; Ends a time, Good or bad; But it ends. I wonder, As the leaves fall, Have I done everything I needed to do? It doesn’t help That the leaves keep falling And the air turns freezing. A day passed by, One leaf or two Fall on the dry Ground like the others do. I remember what I did today. Was it enough? Should I have done more? Or less? I look back on weeks, Or months even, When a small pile of tens or twenties Leaves scattered around the tree’s base, Pondering. Was that worth doing? Did I change the future? Or did I add seal to the fate? When I look at my tree, Out the window of my living room With a few leaves Waving at the top, I’ll look back and see. All the questions, actions Even thinking Was just water that made the tree grow. The sunshine was my friends and family, Caring for me always. The ground my roots I never forgot, and the memories Lost but remembered in time. It didn’t go too bad I helped other people grow.

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A speaker watches leaves drop from a tree and uses the sight to take stock of their own life. Each falling leaf marks an ending, whether the season was good or bad, and that sets off a run of worried questions: Have I done enough? Should I have done more, or less? Did any of it change the future?

The mood starts out restless and a little anxious, with the cold air and the short, broken lines adding to the unease. Near the end, the poem settles. The speaker pictures the tree as a whole life: their thoughts and actions were the water, friends and family the sunshine, and memories the roots. Looking back from the window, with only a few leaves left at the top, the speaker finds some peace. The closing line, "I helped other people grow," suggests that this is what makes the life feel worthwhile. The poem moves from doubt to quiet, modest acceptance.

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