Two years on after the first trees were planted on the Fruit Route, an artist led project by Anne-Marie Culhane, across Loughborough University Campus, we planted more trees.
The planting followed a workshop on pruning, cutting back to keep the previously planted trees healthy and promote growth.
I wrote between digging and will publish what comes in due course, in the meantime here's the poem I wrote during the first wave of planting:
The Cut in Her Stomach
bare trees
the sound of spades
across tarmac
we huddle
by a green tractor
how to plant a tree
cold rain
it’s at least a two man job
a tree like this
the English undergrad
asks everyone
‘what's nepotism?’
a twinge
from the cut in her stomach
she digs deep
no not cold
just wet
and getting heavier
the lost referee
asks for directions
to the all weather pitch
hazel whips
we find a seam
of hard core
‘with the hedge’
he says 'plant three for one
just in case’
she’ll need
a stepladder now
to see the runners' legs
Paul Conneally
written on 18 Febr, 2012 the first day of planting the new Fruit Route at Loughborough University
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