Snow gum. Lake Dobson, Mount Field National Park. April 2013. I love snow gums. If I was compiling a top 10 trees, it'd have to rank... He Would Never Use One Word Where None Would Do , Philip Levine If you said “Nice day,” he would look up at the three clouds riding overhead, nod at each, and go back to doing what- ever he was doing or not doing. If you asked for a smoke or a light, he’d hand you whatever he found in his pockets: a jackknife, a hankie – usually unsoiled — a dollar bill, a subway token. Once he gave me half the sandwich he was eating at the little outdoor restaurant on La Guardia Place. I remember a single sparrow was perched on the back of his chair, and when he held out a piece of bread on his open palm, the bird snatched it up and went back to its place without even a thank you, one hard eye staring at my bad eye as though I were next. That was in May of ’97, spring had come late, but the sun warmed both of us for hours while silence...