The Broken Tree

The broken tree is mentioned twice, once at the beginning of the poem and once towards the end. In the first stanza, the tree is portrayed as a space of shelter from the rain — in other words, from the hardships of life. However, the tree is “broken,” meaning it doesn’t fulfil its purpose adequately. The speaker has reached a point in their life when their mental defences against the world are worn thin. Later, the broken tree is reintroduced as a metaphor for the speaker himself. Like the speaker, and the ageing community as a whole, the broken tree is an unimpressive staple of the scenery that goes unnoticed.

The Fire

In the first stanza, the speaker recounts how their “chair was nearest to the fire” when they came together with their colleagues (Line 3). On one level, this moment is used to juxtapose...