"Loveliest of Trees" by A. E. Housman
            
             Too many high school seniors feel that the months from August to May are just a stepping-stone that needs to be crossed before striking out on their own in college. The year is passed in a rush of college and scholarship applications as well as the persistent questions from every adult in their life inquiring as to what they are going to do for the next 20 years of their life. Buddha once said, "Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment." In "Loveliest of trees" A. E. Housman expresses the frailty of human life, and humanities need to savor the present.
             The man in this poem is reflecting on the first twenty years of his life, which were focused not on nature, but on himself. Like the high school seniors, this man had little time for much more than the business of living. Now that he has survived two decades he is examining his life. He knows that "Fifty springs are little room" to experience all that he wants.
             In the first quatrain Housman accents the simple beauty of nature. The cherry blossoms are ripe and pure; nature at its finest. Life, whether plant or human, seems invincible. But the insertion of, "now" at the end of the first line brings us back to the harsh reality of human mortality. The cherries are, "hung... along the bough" suggesting that the branch will not be able to hold the fruit indefinitely. The life of the cherries is limited, despite their beauty.
             The last quatrain is rushed as the poet tries to fit in as much living as he can into the last fifty years of his life. He realizes that there is no possible way he can achieve all of his dreams in the short time that he has left. Unlike high school seniors who spend all their time focused on their next step, this poet knows he has to savor life because it moves to fast to not enjoy it.
            
            
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