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It is to be roped, tied,
And pulled out — snapped out
Or pulled out entirely,
Out from the earth-cave,
And the strength of the tree exposed
The source, white and wet,
The most sensitive, hidden
For years inside the earth.

Anchoring earth: trees are held securely with the help of the roots in the
earth
Snapped out: chopped out

The poet says that in order to kill the tree, it has to be uprooted. One has
to separate the tree from the Earth which supports it. The roots of the
tree bind the tree with the soil in the pit of the Earth. From there, the
most sensitive and hidden part of the tree - the roots have to be
detached. The roots are white in colour and are damp.

Then the matter
Of scorching and choking
In sun and air,
Browning, hardening,
Twisting, withering,
And then it is done.

Scorching and choking: the drying up of the tree after being uprooted

Once the tree has been uprooted, then gradually it withers and dries up
with the action of heat and wind. The trunk will become brown, twist and
will harden. Finally, the tree will die this way.

Literary Devices

1. No rhyme scheme is there in the poem. It is written in free verse.
There is no rhyme or rhythm.
2. Enjambment: When one sentence continues into two or more
lines.
Not a simple jab of the knife
will do it. It has grown
slowly consuming the earth

Rising out of it, feeding
Upon its crust, absorbing
Years of sunlight, air, water,
And out of its leprous hide
Sprouting leaves.