Poetry Precis #6: "Neglect"

R.T. Smith uses a regretful and remorseful tone in his poem “Neglect,” and uses an extended metaphor of the apple tree and vivid imagery to impart the message that one must not take for granted the things important to them in life, because you don’t know what you have until it's gone. The speaker recalls the sense of loss and longing they have over their precious apple tree that they neglected to take care of and appreciate, and wants to beseech the reader not to do the same. Smith uses strong imagery to show how devastating it was that the apple tree was lost, and the strong emotions that came along with it, like “skew the sap’s passage, blacken leaves, dry the bark and heart.” This conveys a gloomy and mournful tone, showing how dark everything is without this important fixture in their life. One must take extra measures to love and appreciate the important people and things in our lives, because “death is inevitable for any living being unloved, untended.” By detailing the metaphor of the apple tree, Smith is able to warn the reader not to neglect the things that matter most in their life.