Winter Trees

Introduction: Max Rael wrote to say: "Winter Trees on the bonus disc of the remastered version of Brave, is also the title of another Sylvia Plath poem."

Steve Rothery said, "At one point I did write Winter Trees, a B-side for one of the Marillion singles [The Hollow Man]. It was the idea that each of us would write some stuff on his own to use it as B-sides. In the end it looks like I was the only one actually doing it."

Here's the poem (with original US English spelling). Whether or not it inspired the track, I don't know, but it's certainly a possibility, especially given the Plath reference in Alone Again in the Lap of Luxury

Winter Trees - Sylvia Plath

The wet dawn inks are doing their blue dissolve.
On their blotter of fog the trees
Seem a botanical drawing.
Memories growing, ring on ring,
A series of weddings.

Knowing neither abortions nor bitchery,
Truer than women,
They seed so effortlessly!
Tasting the winds, that are footless,
Waist-deep in history.
Full of wings, otherworldliness.
In this, they are Ledas.
O mother of leaves and sweetness
Who are these pietas?
The shadows of ringdoves chanting, but chasing nothing.