Poems by R. Jones and R. Hass

"The Problem of Describing Trees" by Robert Haas and "Hubris at Zunzal" by Rodney Jones metaphorically describe language and how it is created and used. Jones' poem describes a man in the sunset who floats out to sea. He feels relief after dumping his drink out, metaphorically proving that language, portrayed by his drink, can be lost so easily in the vast ocean. His one drink was a thought within language, while the ocean is the collectiveness of everyone else. His thoughts were mixed in with everyone else, and now the thought is gone. The second poem by Haas describes how language can grow and develop like a tree. With words like "flutter", "dance", "wobb;y stem" and "capitalized" one can see how a tree can grow. Language must start off small like a tree as well, making itself beautiful throughout time. These poems are similar in a sense.