Over spring break, I went on a class trip to South Carolina as part of the Adventure Literature program here at Penn State. The English class is focused on writing from the area that explore the flora, fauna, culture, and history. What I didn’t realize until I came back was how I had projected my personal experiences onto the interpretation of the readings, and it was fascinating to re-read them with a new perspective – a perspective that was more relevant and developed.
For example, I was assigned to analyze the poem “Corporal Slights” by William Baldwin, a South Carolinian writer, for homework a few weeks ago. I was disappointed at first because it was the only poem I had found significant difficulty interpreting within the packet. I ended up researching almost every single line in an attempt to grasp some semblance of meaning. But I always came back to the line “The knees of cypress tell what the spreading limbs have found.” After looking up a few key words, I interpreted the poem as a tribute to the cypress and that he wanted us to feel dwarfed beside them. I still agree with this interpretation, but after kayaking directly beside them and finding myself in complete awe, I think it’s also crucial to understand why we should feel dwarfed beside them – their incomparable history and vigor.
Many trees are worthy of our admiration, but the evolutionary strengths of the cypress and how the knees offer stability in a difficult environment, truly allow this tree to outshine others. I’ve always thought that there is something to be said for those who choose the more difficult path and not only survive, but thrive. To me, the cypress is a natural representation of this, and the desires and dreams that Mr. Baldwin references in the poem are dwarfed not because they are small or meaningless, but because we do not have the kind of determination and strength that the cypress exhibits.
*Below is the poem as well as a picture of a cypress tree for reference
The knees of cypress tell what the spreading limbs
have found, which hare the whispering sounds
we hear
when sunlight passing through the crown
strikes the tannin surface and
between these roots and
rotting leaves rebounds as silvered
sheen.
Flesh
of the ear,
eye, heart, tongue,
here are the forms eternal
dwarfing first achievable desires
and next
those dreams
which have no hope of being.
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