Moss is considered the base of the forest, the lowest level from which all of the other plants grow. Although moss is vital to a forest, it is often thought of as slimy and dirty. The poplar tree is weak and useless. Nothing can be built from its wood, and it often bends and breaks during storms. The reader gets a clear sense of the struggle toward a new life that is hindered and held back by the old, dependable moss that has been and always will be present.
Red earth can be symbolic in two ways.
Secondly, the red earth can be associated with the desert, a place where no vegetation can grow. The theme of new beginnings and the harness of the past in another natural setting is discussed again in the second stanza, but now with a focus on time. The visual image presented my the passage as the sun hesitating and losing its direction show allow the reader to observe the symbolism of the sun. The sun universally represents time, the rise and set of sun symbolizing the beginning and ending of each day, days leading into months, years, and lifetimes. Hope and the fresh start were halted by the sun, who was not ready to let time pass and continue.