"...but can not be pinned down to a school."
I would pin him to the school of the Inexperienced Naturalists, those who write inaccurately about, say, firewood, in order to create a nifty artifact.
"You gone, I thought to look
for warmth in the pitch of trees
so I went to the chopping-block,
brought axe's edge to kiss
soft, knotty-hearted pine
whose sinews might warm mine."
"Pitch" is clever usage, but it's pitch that burns so hot that pine is poor firewood: you have to keep loading the fireplace or stove.
Pine's a softwood, so "kiss soft" is also damn clever phrasing, but an experienced naturalist would know that hardwood is what one splits for fires.
"Knotty-hearted" is also a nifty part of the trope, making us think of a 50's fad for knotty pine walls in studies and rec rooms, which was actually a cheaper board (wholesale) because of its flaws.
"Knotty-hearted" also connotes something strong with "sinews," but pine is soft and not nearly as "sinewy" as, say, maple, oak, ash or other fine firewoods. Stay away from elm: too sinewy.
I stop reading poets who try to pull fast ones on me.
Hard-Hearted Clawson
|