Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Alicia Suskin Ostriker's poem "A Young Woman, A Tree" intertwines the life of a young woman with that of a tree, using both to explore themes of desire, growth, and the passage of time. The poem is structured in three parts, each delving deeper into the woman's and the tree's existence, drawing parallels between their experiences and the cycles of life.

In the first section, the poem captures the restlessness and fervent desire of youth. The young woman feels overwhelmed by "the life [that] spills over," a metaphor for her intense emotions and unfulfilled desires. She yearns for an explosive release, much like the "red tree" that "bursts into fire." This tree, ablaze with autumn colors, symbolizes the passion and intensity she longs to experience. The young woman’s restlessness is palpable—she wishes to "be making love," "be making a painting," or "be exploding" like the tree. Her desire to "catch up / With the riding rhythm of things" suggests a longing to sync her inner chaos with the world around her, to find peace by immersing herself fully in the intensity of life. The poem portrays her as caught between the mundane routine of her daily life—plodding to the bus stop for school—and the fiery, almost uncontrollable desires that burn within her. The tree becomes a powerful symbol of what she yearns to be: unrestrained, vibrant, and in harmony with the universe.

The second section takes a leap forward in time, foreshadowing the woman’s future. It reveals that this same intense need will "erupt every September," signaling that her desires will be cyclical, recurring as predictably as the changing seasons. The poem imagines her fifty years later, in a laundromat, having a moment of sudden clarity: "The desire / To burn is already a burning!" This realization—that the very act of desiring is itself a form of fulfillment—comes to her unexpectedly, as if a lightbulb suddenly illuminates her understanding. The poem suggests that with age, she will come to see the continuity of her desires not as a source of frustration, but as an intrinsic part of her being. The setting of this epiphany, a mundane and somewhat grimy laundromat, contrasts sharply with the fiery passion of her youth, underscoring the irony that profound realizations often come in the most ordinary moments.

The third section shifts focus to the tree, anthropomorphizing it as a resilient urban survivor. The tree has adapted to its environment—located "between a bus stop / And a bar"—and has developed a "mutant appetite for pollutants," thriving on the very substances that might harm other living things. The tree enjoys the city life, finding joy in its natural rhythms: "having nothing to do / But feel its thousand orgasms each spring" and "stretch its limbs during the windy days." The imagery of the tree’s "thousand orgasms" each spring and its enjoyment of the changing seasons gives it a sensual, almost hedonistic quality, paralleling the young woman's desire for intense experiences. The tree’s longevity and its ability to draw strength from its roots—"the secret leafless system / That digs in dark"—represent the wisdom and resilience that come with age. The tree, like the woman, has deep, unseen roots that sustain it, even as it reaches upward and outward.

By the end of the poem, the tree becomes a metaphor for the woman’s life, reflecting her own journey from fiery youth to wise old age. Just as the tree stretches its limbs and enjoys the seasons, the woman’s desires, once burning with youthful intensity, will eventually settle into a deeper understanding of herself and her place in the world. The poem suggests that both the woman and the tree find their strength in their roots, in the deep, often unseen connections that ground them.

"A Young Woman, A Tree" is a meditation on the passage of time, the nature of desire, and the ways in which both humans and trees adapt to and thrive within their environments. Ostriker's rich imagery and reflective tone invite readers to consider the parallels between human and natural life, and to find meaning in the cyclical, interconnected rhythms of both.

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