Poetry of India 30/100: Gieve Patel’s ‘On Killing a Tree’ and the Violence Hidden in Metaphor
Part 30 of The Poetry Pulse’s 100-part journey through Indian poetry.Gieve Patel’s poem “On Killing a Tree” is often read as a striking account of how difficult it is to destroy a living organism that has grown over years. Its plain, almost instructional voice creates an unsettling contrast with the violence of its subject. This discussion analyses the poem’s key images and phrasing without repro…
