As a poetic symbol, trees often correspond to aging and the passage of chronological time. In “To Return to the Trees,” Walcott uses the “unwincing” (Line 3) sea-almond and the “burly oak” (Line 8) as models for types of aging, but he also uses them as representatives of the European and West Indian traditions present throughout this poem and within his wider work. Adjectives for humans and trees mix in multiple instances: the “geriatric” grove of trees in Line 4 and the “gnarled poet” in Line 13 trade moods in their adjectives. Later, the philosopher Seneca’s language also manifests as “gnarled’ (Line 44) and as a “broken bark” (Line 46), the play on words including the physical tree covering and the sound of clipped speech. Lines 49 and 50 embody the opening metaphor of the wise old man as a tree, giving the “senex” two eyes (Line 49) in “the boles of this tree” (Line 50).

Walcott redefines the color grey in “To Return to the Trees,” establishing it as a symbol of power, beauty, and peace. He elevates its status from a “neutral” color (Line 22), a lackluster version of white (“…the dirty flag / of courage going under” Lines 23-24) to one of dimension and grace.