The Almond Tree by John Stallworthy

“The Almond Tree” by John Stallworthy is a very hard-hitting, emotional poem, incorporating the themes of birth and death. The subject of the poem is a father's deep though before, during and after the birth of his first son, who is born disadvantaged with Downs Syndrome. This personal experience of the poet provides the motivation, which allows him to write a wonderful poem, littered with poetic techniques and raw emotion.

Stallworthy manages to evoke many thoughts in the mind of the reader and demands sympathy through a variety of techniques. The poem is divided into eight random length sections which can then be combined forming three main stages, each reflecting upon a different aspect of the father’s experience. The rhyme and rhythm schemes differ immensely between the three stages and each replicates the mood of the persona at that moment. Although the theme and moods fluctuate drastically through these stages, one thing remains constant – the symbolism of the Almond Tree and therefore the significance of the title: it is to this the persona returns to focus his feelings.

The poem opens on a bright, exuberant note as the father races, full of expectancy to the hospital to see his newborn son:

“The lights were green as peppermints”

This childish simile helps create the joyful mood, but also sets an innocent atmosphere, which is soon to be shattered. Apparently, nothing can go wrong. Stallworthy even calls himself a “lucky prince” which brings in the fairytale imagery and adds to the innocence of the poem. The excitement of the persona is clear to all and his expectation levels for his son are high: - his son will carry on the persona's lineage:

“Centuries,/ continents it had crossed;/ from an undisclosed beginning/ spiralling to an unmapped end.”

The strong word, “spiralling” evokes thoughts of birth and has connotations of DNA, but the irony in the phrase is poignant – at this stage the persona has no idea of what is to unfold, or of the fate of his bloodline. The title then begins to have some significance:

“I parked in an almond’s/ shadow blossom, for the tree/ was waving, waving me/ upstairs with a child’s hands.”

The personification of the tree and the subtle imagery for the uncomplicated movements highlight the poet’s naivete ...

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“Centuries,/ continents it had crossed;/ from an undisclosed beginning/ spiralling to an unmapped end.”

“I parked in an almond’s/ shadow blossom, for the tree/ was waving, waving me/ upstairs with a child’s hands.”

The personification of the tree and the subtle imagery for the uncomplicated movements highlight the poet’s naivete as he enters a danger zone with absolutely no hesitation. This is reflected in the concrete poetry of his journey up the stairway: indeed the poem is a triple journey – the literal physical journeys of the father and child and the figurative journey to acceptance by the father.

The second stage sees the rather blunt announcement, which I thought was rather tactless, from the doctor to the persona that;

“your son is a mongol”

A drastic change in the rhythm and rhyme of this section provides an insight that everything may not be as wonderful as first thought: the tone is ominous. The shortened sentences and basic rhymes, added to the alliteration of “scissored” and “slicing” – two words which have connotations of cutting, in keeping with the shock of the bad news to follow – build up to the climax of the doctor’s words: a crushing blow to the father! The joy of before is short-lived and brought to an abrupt end. This news eclipses everything and is even compared to death:

“How easily the words went in-/ clean as a bullet/ leaving no mark on the skin, /stopping the heart within it.”

The father is irreparably mentally wounded yet hardly visibly scarred. Suddenly the thoughts of birth are replaced with thoughts of death. At this point the symbolism of the Almond tree becomes significant: in dying the tree rejuvenates, and so the man is at the dying stage, but ultimately will be ‘reborn’. The mood becomes very negative as the persona struggles to some to terms with the news. A continuous, regular alternating rhyme scheme develops and again the Almond tree plays a part. Just as the father appears to be ascending from his physical being, the tree, again in it’s personified state, intervenes:

“The almond waving me down.”

The intervention then triggers a total transformation in the man as the word “unfamiliar” emphasises, whilst also relating back to the extended imagery of “the man in the driving mirror” – a former self. The man gradually begins to realise that the situation is not as bad as first thought.

Stallworthy uses the metaphor of a ship together with many nautical connotations in the next sub-section. It represents the father’s preferred approach in trying to come to terms with the circumstances:

“some on board/ soon to be lost, if the desperate/ charts were known”

Here the poet refers to fate and takes the philosophical view that people will die, regardless. He then refers to his son by saying:

“Others would come/ altered to land”

He concedes that fate has dealt his son an unwanted card, and that his son will never “come ashore into (his) kingdom” This line has yet another nautical connotation, but it also shatters the earlier metaphor of the “lucky prince”. Although the father had high hopes for his son he decides to be positive rather than to seek pity and be bitter.

“better not/ look that way.”

The emphasis has changed once again; from thoughts of death to those of birth and optimism levels are certainly restored. The father realises the process the Almond undergoes annually is required for the tree to grow – no matter how painful – and he vows to undergo similar, painful changes for the benefit of both himself and his son:

“ I too… saw myself blossoming”

Once the rebirth of the father is complete, the poignancy of the language and the rhythm is more relaxed. The word-choice also becomes more emotive and the transition of the father is clear. He decides, in keeping with the Nietzschean philosophy, that these events must contrive to make him a better person: he has, effectively, grown through the pain.

His aspirations for the child change from his previous, selfish ones to those of a typical loving parent; reflected in the term of endearment:

“We will tunnel each other out … my little mongol love”

The son is no longer simply a mongol but the love of the father’s life and the pronoun shift, of “you” to “we” show the father’s total acceptance of his son and his unfortunate condition. The father’s ‘rebirth’ has proved a learning experience and for me, shows there is always hope.

Stallworthy has taken a truly personal moment – a moment of intense emotional experience – and through the medium of poetry he has involved his reader’s on this journey, indeed the journey of life. The Almond tree is the focal point of his journey; symbolising optimism, rejuvenation and hope for the future and with this in mind he manages to convince the reader that:

“To live is to suffer,/ to suffer is to live.”