The Trees

Find, in the first stanza, three things that cannot happen in a treeless forest. 

   The perching of birds on trees, the hiding of insects in the branches, and the sun burying its feet in the shadows of the forest are the three things. 

What and where are the trees, the roots, the leaves, and the twigs doing in the house? 

   In the poem, the trees are trapped in the poet's house. Their roots work all night to separate themselves from the cracks in the veranda floor. The leaves try very hard to move towards the grass and put a lot of pressure on it therefore breaking it. The small twigs get stiff with exertion. 

What are the different ways the moon is described in the poem? 

   At the beginning of the third stanza, the poet says that the full moon is shining in an open sky at night. At the end of the stanza, she describes that the moon breaks into pieces like a broken mirror and shines on the head of the tallest oak tree. 

Why do you think the poet does not mention their departure? 

   Perhaps the poet feels that it is humans who don't care for nature and so may not be interested in knowing about the efforts made by trees to set themselves free.