The poem begins with some straightforward facts. “The man across the street is mowing 40 acres on a small lawn mower” (Line 1). With this first declaration, the speaker sets the scene for the reader. She is in a community with a tree farm across the street, and she does not know the name of the owner. He has 40 acres, implying that there is a lot of space between them, and they are in a rural environment. In the next sentence, “It’s so small, it must take him days, so I imagine that he likes it” (Line 2), she begins showing her curiosity about this neighbor and why he does what he does. “He / must [like it]” (Lines 2-3) she repeats. This helps to build rhythm and repetition. The sentences that follow focus the reader’s attention on the man, mimicking the speaker as he circles “so many trees. One circle here. One circle / there” (Lines 4-5). The speaker is drawing attention to the man and the rhythmic way he works.

Then the speaker reveals more about her own position in the scene.