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Miniature Trees
- Hong Kong University Press, HKU
- Chapter
- Additional Information
24 Miniature Trees The idea, I think, is to squeeze The life from an aged plant And rejuvenate it in miniature. Not to preserve the dregs of age But to use the iron rigour of a stump To sustain life in young shoots That live to adorn man’s will, While human hands train, twist, slit or break them. Firstly choose from nature, (Slave market of abundance) The right tree for your purpose, One shaped with potential beauty. Plant it in your garden and see that it lives. Then pluck its soul, Trim its roots, its shoots later. It must not die But grow to the size and shape you desire In your porcelain dish. In years to come, subjugated nature will respond to your vigilance. The straight pine sapling Straining its young neck to the sun Can be made in time to frown authority As it cuts downwards in angles, twists and turns. The rugged black miniature elm At last, sprouting young green branches and small leaves Takes on eminence in its ancient fertility. ...