A poison Tree

This is an AABB rhyme scheme which helps poem flow. It is made of four stanzas which are each quatrains. The firs stanza is in the pattern in which each line starts with I was, or I told alternating.

I was angry with my friend:
I told my wrath, my wrath did end.
I was angry with my foe:
I told it not, my wrath did grow.

And I watered it in fears
Night & morning with my tears;
And I sunned it with smiles,
And with soft deceitful wiles.

And it grew both day and night,
Till it bore an apple bright.
And my foe beheld it shine,
And he knew that it was mine,

And into my garden stole,
When the night had veiled the pole;
In the morning glad I see
My foe outstretched beneath the tree.

This poem is very interesting with the use of personification for the tree. The first stanza takes a look at how human emotions like anger, hate, and wrath grow. I completely related to the line “I told it not, my wrath did grow” it is very hard to control your anger. The second stanza is all about how we try to fool and deceive our anger from growing. The third stanza relates to the biblical story of Adam and Eve. The fruits of the trees labors to hide its anger bore an apple. I can’t decide why Eve a woman would be the trees foe. Women in general are often related to mother earth, or the family tree. The tree and Eve could be the same person and Adam is her foe, the tree/she gives Adam the apple and sees him outstretched beneath the tree. This poem gives another look at a very classic story, using personification from the trees point of view.