Looking up at leaves: an examination

Bara Howes' "Looking Up at Leaves"

The awesome beauty and wonder of nature are the focal point of Barbara Howes' poem, "Looking Up at Leaves." Howes employs the literary techniques of imagery, metaphor, simile, and symbolism to express her appreciation for nature. This paper will examine how Howes illustrates her talent as a stylist.

The poem begins by including humankind as a part of nature that is surrounded by the company of trees. She tells us that we have no reason to feel alone when we are in the presence of trees. This statement personifies trees, giving them the human quality of keeping company. This theme remains dominant throughout the poem, which the poet extends to the leaves as well.

For example, the poet tells us the leaves have "depth" (2) and even though they beckon us, we also sense withdrawal from them as well. With this image we can envision the leaves swaying in the breeze. The poet also gives us a fantastic image of the leaves in the sky when she describes their, "fragile tumult on the way to the sky" (3). From this image we know that the wind carries them up and around before releasing them so that they actually begin to fall to the earth.

Additionally, we are also told that the leaves "fall, rise, waver" (6) on their descent to the pond. This is a perfect image of how leaves move about in the air as the fall to the ground. Seldom do they fall straight down. They move in a way that resembles hesitation and the poet captures this action perfectly. The poet uses a metaphor when she tells us that the leaves' reflections echo on the water. We are also told that they "whisper under the sun" (7). This is a wonderful way to describe the sights and sounds of the leaves on the water and in the wind.

Another powerful metaphor the poet employs in this poem involves her description the roots of the tree. We are told that the "lily roots" search down through the soil. The roots are tough, yet they are lily. In other words, the are delicate, yet they are strong enough to survive the harsh elements of nature. This is a powerful image of the beauty of nature that the poet wishes to express. She is also careful to introduce the element of human hands touching the soil when she envisions the "brown/Tough roots" (8). In addition, she contrasts the leaves "whispering under the sun" (7) to her experience "while in this shade" (8). These images serve to remind us that we are only spectators when it comes to observing aspects of nature.

It is also interesting to note that the poet uses the metaphor of "pool" when describing the pond and the earth. In this way, she is connecting the two "hemispheres" (4) that the trees hold apart. By describing the leaves belonging to the wide-open sky and the roots reaching "down through their pool of earth to an equal depth" (10), the poet is giving us an image of a grand tree. The tree is perfectly balanced between the two hemispheres with this description.

While placing herself in some other "world" that seems to exist between these two separate worlds, she is calling attention to the fact that trees almost posses a magical quality because of their ability to exist in the two hemispheres. The poet does an excellent job of engaging us as readers because we can almost see the leaves blowing in the breeze and feel the earth in the palm of our hands. This example of connecting elements reinforces Howes stylistic technique.

Additionally, the poet likens the leaves to water lilies, which is a simile. (5) What makes this image so unique is the fact that we can see the sky as a pool for the leaves as well as the pond. The poet also gives us the image of the tree branches reaching into the sky as the roots reach down into the soil. The poet closes the poem by saying that she is "balanced between reflection and reflection," which emphasizes the pool imagery. This image projects the image of nature in perfect balance.

It is also important to note how the poet has captured a single moment in time with this poem. Her attention to the details around her enlarges the moment and creates many thoughts images from simply observing leaves in the breeze. This makes the poem even more effective when we consider what the poet has managed to experience in what would amount to a flash in time.