{"id":2152,"date":"2020-10-29T09:00:32","date_gmt":"2020-10-29T09:00:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/writersrebel.com\/?p=2152"},"modified":"2020-11-05T08:30:13","modified_gmt":"2020-11-05T08:30:13","slug":"city-boy-talks-to-trees","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/writersrebel.com\/city-boy-talks-to-trees\/","title":{"rendered":"Read: City Boy Talks To Trees<\/span>Raymond Antrobus<\/span>"},"content":{"rendered":"

Look at that tree<\/i>, said Mimi, look at that tree and write about it.<\/i><\/p>\n

But Mimi, I don\u2019t know the name of that tree.<\/p>\n

I can describe it but can\u2019t distinguish it, tall, brown, bursting<\/p>\n

with leaves like a loaded wallet,<\/p>\n

autumn\u2019s green and yellow receipts.<\/p>\n

Mimi, is it against my nature to notice the tree, who am I<\/p>\n

to rustle in the wind? Mimi, my best memory<\/p>\n

of a tree is the one that grew at the back<\/p>\n

of my mother\u2019s garden, it might\u2019ve been a young Oak<\/p>\n

or a Sweetgum? My mother came back from the market with rope<\/p>\n

and asked my father to tie it around the thickest arm,<\/p>\n

the knot was the seat for my sister and I<\/p>\n

so we could swing. Mimi, we sat on that knot and launched ourselves,<\/p>\n

held our whole face and both arms and feet against it<\/p>\n

and Tarzaned into the air. That branch held us all summer,\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

my parents months from their second separation,<\/b><\/p>\n

my sister a year from running away from home, calling<\/p>\n

the house, hanging up on mum\u2019s new boyfriend.<\/p>\n

When I finally answered, You know none of this is your fault?<\/i><\/p>\n

I sat on the staircase with a rubber pad on the receiver so I could listen<\/p>\n

through hearing aids, that one bit of her voice entered me<\/p>\n

while I stared out the window at that tree.<\/p>\n

See Mimi? I don\u2019t know what I\u2019m saying, I don\u2019t know<\/p>\n

what I\u2019m hearing. I\u2019m just rustling in the wind.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Raymond Antrobus<\/strong> was born in London, Hackney to an English mother and Jamaican father, he is the author of ‘Shapes & Disfigurements’, ‘To Sweeten Bitter’ and ‘The Perseverance’. In 2019 he became the first ever poet to be awarded the Rathbone Folio Prize for best work of literature in any genre. For more information, see his website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Act Now:<\/strong> Join the struggle to protect ancient trees and woodlands by visiting one of the HS2 protest camps, making a donation to the HS2 Rebellion, or raising awareness through online actions. Click here<\/a> to find out how.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Photo of Raymond Antrobus by Suki Dhanda<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Look at that tree, said Mimi, look at that tree and write about it. But Mimi, I don\u2019t know the name of that tree. I can describe it but can\u2019t distinguish it, tall, brown, bursting with leaves like a loaded wallet, autumn\u2019s green and yellow receipts. Mimi, is it against my nature to notice the […]<\/p>\n

Read More… from Read: City Boy Talks To Trees<\/span>Raymond Antrobus<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":2154,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4],"tags":[49,301,141],"yoast_head":"\nRead: City Boy Talks To Trees - Writers Rebel<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/writersrebel.com\/city-boy-talks-to-trees\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Read: City Boy Talks To Trees - Writers Rebel\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Look at that tree, said Mimi, look at that tree and write about it. But Mimi, I don\u2019t know the name of that tree. 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