Place by W.S. Merwin

The poem by Merwin starts off with a feeling of doom from the very first line by talking about the end of the world.  His last wish was very surprising to me at first for it was not typical answer one would expect.  Instead of wanting to gain something for himself, he wanted to give back to the world.  Then as he explained what kind of try he wanted I began to think of his reasoning behind why he was being specific on the kind of tree that he would want to plant.  I then began to relate the poem to the consumption of resources and how instead of depleting the world of anymore, when he passed away he wanted  the earth to gain something out of his existence.  It then occurred to me that that was not what the poem was getting at, rather he had stated that he  wanted one that would be able to enjoy the beauty the world had to offer. Such as the sun set, rain and clouds passing by which are all things that I think many people take for granted on a day to day basis.  Overall I really enjoyed this short poem and it really proved to me that not everything has to be so complex to be appreciated.  It took a short poem with a simple message in order for me to really look at all the things I have been taking for granted and has really helped me grow to appreciate the little things in life.