Skip to content

Scottish Poetry Library

Register/Sign in
Shopping Bag Shopping Bag
Bringing people and poems together
  • Home
  • COVID-19
    • Re-Opening FAQ
  • Poetry
    • Poems
    • Poets
    • Our National Poet
    • Podcasts
    • Best Scottish Poems
    • Poetry and Mindfulness
    • Champions 2020
    • Posters
    • Publishers
  • Library
    • Become a borrower
    • Catalogue
    • Collections
    • Ask a librarian
    • Copyright enquiries
  • Learning
    • National Poetry Day 2019
    • National Poetry Day archive
    • SQA set texts
    • Learning resources
    • New to poetry?
    • Advice for poets
  • Events
    • Calendar
    • Exhibitions
    • Venue hire
    • List an event
  • Shop
    • National Poetry Day 2020
    • New Titles
    • Poetry Pamphlet Cards
    • Pocket Poets
    • Scottish Poetry
    • Help
  • About us
    • Our story
    • Our people
    • Our projects
    • Jobs
    • Our building
    • FAQs
    • Find us
  • Support us
    • Become a Friend
    • Donate
    • Easy Fundraising
  • Blog
Shopping BagShopping Bag
Ask a librarian
  • Home
  • >
  • Poetry
  • >
  • Sue Butler
  • >
  • Trees
Donate Donate icon Ask a Librarian Ask a Librarian icon

Trees

Sue Butler

I cycle up the hill above your house,
sit on a gate to a stubble field.
Your spade shines in coastal sun
as you slice through your shadow
and turf, into rich black loam; ancient,
terrifying. A neat circle cut,
you dig down, sprinkle stardust from a bag.
You hold the sapling straight, backfill,
heel it in. A rainbow
pours from the watering can.
You wipe sweat from your face, look up.
I wave, but all you see is land
that could yield
apples pressed to cider, drunk
in shade. A man planting trees
isn’t leaving his wife,
whatever you say. You’re not leaving.


Sue Butler

Tags:

bikes farming fruit nature trees work

About this poem

Sue Butler says of this poem: ‘I’d be lost without poetry and a garden. But having travelled a fair bit I’m under no illusion that both poetry and a garden are unimaginable luxuries for many people – not to mention the free time to read or write poetry and work or relax in a garden. I try never to forget that when I’m cursing the weeds or bemoaning the fact that I’ve only been able to find twenty minutes in a day to read Edward Thomas or Ted Hughes.’

Share this
Facebook
Twitter
Email

Learn more

Sue Butler

Sue Butler is the author of a number of poetry collections including Learning to Improvise (Rockingham) and Arson (Happenstance).
More about Sue Butler

Newsletter

Sign up for Scottish Poetry Library\\\'s regular email newsletter.
Subscribe now

Join

Become a Borrower or support our work by becoming a Friend of SPL.
Join us
  • Newsletter signup
  • Accessibility
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
Scottish Poetry Library
5 Crichton's Close, Canongate
Edinburgh EH8 8DT
Tel: +44 (0)131 557 2876
© Scottish Poetry Library 2021.
The Scottish Poetry Library is a registered charity (No. SCO23311).
City of Edinburgh logo Green Arts Initiative logo Creative Scotland logo
By leaves we live

The Scottish Poetry Library is staffed weekdays from 10am – 2pm and is providing a limited service including postal loans and Click & Collect. For details, click COVID-19 in the menu bar above. Dismiss