Emily Wheeler
Falling Apart like a Magnolia
Artist Statement: Talking & Listening to Plants
“Falling apart Like a Magnolia” is part of a series of twelve sonnets about trees growing at the Arnold Arboretum, prompted by photos and notes from the director, Ned Friedman. An evolutionary biologist at the oldest public arboretum in North America, Ned marries his sense of amazement at the sheer beauty of the natural world with a deep understanding of its biological complexity. Though not trained in botany, I revel in the linguistic opportunities that talking about trees offers, and I take pleasure in the imaginative work of identifying and amplifying the questions raised by such conversation.
EMILY WHEELER is a freelance copy editor and, until her recent move to Cape Cod, was docent at the Arnold Arboretum. Her poems have appeared in New Ohio Review, Barrow Street, and Orion, among others. “Falling Apart Like a Magnolia” is part of a series of twelve sonnets about trees growing at the Arnold, prompted by photos and notes from the director, evolutionary biologist Ned Friedman.