More than a tree

I believe that the sequoia in this poem is symbolism for a baby that is lost. The author talks about working all day in the orchard to dig a hole and place the "sequoia" in. It is not a happy day, you can tell by the description of the weather. It talks of other fathers planting a tree for their first born sons and how he would have done the same but instead they kneel in the cold planting the native giant. I really like this poem for a couple of reasons. I like it because it has so much heart without being overly sentimental. When I think of a tree as a symbol a lot of times I think of the genealogy of my family with each branch representing a new family member. So in this orchard that the poem talks about I am reminded of the same sort of thing. This father would have loved to plant a new tree or raised his little boy, giving the orchard a new sapling but instead the child died. I believe the orchard is the family. Welcoming each new tree with joy as it makes the orchard grow. I love the line where he says "defying the practical custom of our fathers". I love it because the word defying has always felt to me a sort of negative connotation always reserved for the stubborn who wish to go against the norm. Well in this instance the child is going against the norm, which would be dying after the parent not before, but I do not believe that the child made a conscious decision about it. It later talks about all the rest of the family who will come and go. The house will be torn down and his mothers ashes in the air. It makes it feel like the child will never be forgot and their will always linger this sadness and despair that is felt because of it.