quotes

• “I can’t hear the barista

  over the coffee machine.

  Spoons slam, steam rises.”  

  • The poem begins describing a modern London coffee shop
  • The shop is described as noisy and busy
• “I catch the eye of a man

  sitting in the corner

  of the cafe reading alone” 

  • The speaker observes a man in the coffee shop and notices they are alone
• “about trees which is, incidentally,

  all I can think about

  since returning.” 

  • The speaker returns to their own thoughts as they notice the man is reading about trees
  • The speaker introduces a memory that has had great impact on them
• “Last week I sat alone

  on a stump, deep in Zelandia forest” 

  • The speaker is reminded of when he was alone in a forest the week before
  • He was in New Zealand, sitting on the stump of a tree
• “with sun-syrupped Kauri trees

  and brazen Tui birds with white tufts

  and yellow and black beaks.”

  • The speaker closely describes the plants and animals in New Zealand
• “They landed by my feet, blaring so loudly

  I had to turn off my hearing aids.

  When all sound disappeared, I was tuned

  into a silence that was not an absence.” 

  • The speaker describes the intrusive sounds of the forest in New Zealand
  • They say the birds were so loud they had to turn off their hearing aid:
  • This is the first time the reader learns that the speaker is deaf
  • This allows the speaker to reconnect with nature, as they are able to “tune in”
  • He describes it positively, saying the silence was not uncomfortable or lonely
• What happens when the speaker switches the hearing aid back on?

  The silence ends and the forest comes alive with noise.
• How does the speaker feel about the natural world after switching the hearing aid on?

  The speaker appears to be jealous of the natural world.
• “Later, stumbling from the forest I listened

  to a young Maori woman.

  She could tell which bird chirped,

  a skill she learned from her grandfather

  who said with birds you’re never lonely.” 

  • The speaker recalls meeting an indigenous woman in New Zealand
  • The speaker explains the close connection she has with the natural world:
  • She knows the sounds of the birds very well
  • This knowledge is passed down through the generations
  • The speaker remembers something she said: that being a part of nature brings a sense of comfort and belonging
• How are the Kauri trees described in the text?

  The Kauri trees are described as sturdy with endless brown and green trunks.
• What alternative perspective does the speaker question regarding nature?

  The speaker questions what nature may think of humans.
• What themes are present in the speaker's reflection on nature?

  • Jealousy of the natural world
  • Resilience and eternity of nature
  • Questioning human impact on nature
• What does the phrase "silence collapsed" imply in the context of the text?

  It implies that silence ended abruptly when the sound was turned back on.
• What does the speaker wonder about the trees?

  The speaker wonders what the trees would say about humans.
• What does the speaker's jealousy of the trees suggest about their relationship with nature?

  It suggests a longing for a connection with the natural world that is unencumbered by human experiences.
• “In that moment I felt sorry

  for any grey tree in London,

  for the family they don’t have,

  the Gods they can’t hold.”

  • The speaker returns to the present and to London
  • The speaker expresses remorse at the way urban London has made the trees “lonely” as they have so few birds around them
  • He expresses pity for the trees, as they are lonely and isolated