Cypress Street
by Todd Michael St. Pierre (Mulberry English Course Book)
The Poem :
"I took a stroll down Cypress Street
The hot sidewalk beneath my feet.
The one thing that stood out the most...
Where trees once stood there were lamppost.
Where trees once stood there were lamppost.
I'd never seen so much concrete
No cypress left on Cypress Street.
According to my Great Aunt Gem
There used to be a lot of them.
They cut them down. They took their wood
A treeless street is pulm no good!
Just like a treeless neighbourhood
So tell the Mayor next time they meet...
To change the name to Lamppost Street!"
To change the name to Lamppost Street!"
Summary of the Poem :
The poet walked slowly down the Cypress Street. The path was hot to walk. There were lampposts in places of trees. The poet had never seen so much concrete on the Cypress Street. There were no Cypress trees left on the side of the street. According to the poet's Great Aunt Gem, there used to many Cypress trees on the side of the street. The authority cut the trees and took their wood. The street without trees is on no good just like a treeless neighbourhood. The poet suggests the Mayor to change the name of the street to Lamppost Street as there is no Cypress tree left and they are substituted with lampposts.
1. Fill in the word web with words from the poem.
= Concrete=>Street words=>Lamp post=>Street
2. Tick the right answer.
a. In the poem, the poet walked down the street because:
i. he had something important to do. [ ]
ii. he wanted to check how hot the concrete was. [ ]
iii. he wanted to enjoy a walk. [✓]
b. A treeless street is palm no good.
This means
i. pulm trees are not good to plant on streets. [ ]
ii. streets must have trees. [✓]
iii. treeless streets are good to walk on. [ ]
Reference to context:
3. "According to my Great Aunt Gem
There used to be a lot of them."
i) What does the word 'them' refer to?
= The word 'them' refers to the Cypress trees.
ii) In these lines, find the antonym of 'not many or just a few'.
= The antonym of 'not many or just a few' is 'a lot of.'
iii) What changes has Great Aunt Gem noticed?
= Great Aunt Gem has noticed that there used to be a lot of Cypress trees on the Cypress Street. But there is no tree left on the street.
b) "They cut them down. They took their wood
A treeless street is plum no good!"
i) The poet tells us that they cut down the trees. Who do you think cut down the trees?
= I think the people of the town or the municipality cut the trees down.
ii) Why were the trees cut down?
= The trees were cut down for their wood.
iii) According to the poet, what else is no good without trees?
= According to the poet a neighbourhood is no good without trees.
4. Would it make the poet happy to have the name of the street changed to 'Lamppost Street'? Give a reason for your answer.
= Yes, it would make the poet happy to have the name of the Street changed to 'Lamppost Street'. As there is no Cypress Street, the poet considers that there is no significance to have the name. Rather he suggests to rename the Street as 'Lamppost Street' as there is all lampposts instead of Cypress trees.
5. Why do you think the poet has written this poet?
= I think the poet has written this poem to make us aware about the importance of trees in our locality. We are cutting trees to develop cities and towns. We should remember that if there is no tree, we can not live. No good will happen by cutting trees.
6. What do you think the Mayor should discuss at the next meeting?
=Though the poet has suggested the Mayor to change the name of the street in the next meeting, but I think the Mayor should discuss about planting trees on both sides of the Cypress Street. Most probably he should take steps to plant Cypress trees on both sides of the street.
7. The poet says a neighbourhood without trees is no good. Why is it important to have trees in a neighbourhood? Write your reasons in the speech bubbles.
= The reasons to have trees in a neighbourhood are -
i) Trees give us oxygen.
ii) Trees prevent soil erosion.
iii) Trees prevent pollution.
iv) Trees provide food and shelter.
v) trees make the surroundings look beautiful.
About the Poet :
Todd-Michael St Pierre writes poems, songs and plays for children. He is a storyteller at schools throughout the southern United States. Among his published works are Somewhere: As Told by the Parrot and The Louisiana State Bird Beauty Pageant. St Pierre lives in St Francisville, Louisiana, with his Siamese twin cats. This poem is from Put the People in a Zoo and Set the Animals Free.