The word “orchard” derives from the Old English word ortgeard, the first part of which is composed of hortus, from the Latin for garden. “Orchard” most commonly refers to a planted grove of fruit trees. In “Wedding Poem,” the speaker says that “an orchard” (Line 2) in the poem is located “in my town” (Line 3). While it’s possible that the orchard sits in a rural area of town, the implication is that the speaker happens upon the orchard, a situation that seems unlikely if the orchard were off the beaten track or if the orchard belonged to the speaker.

Human sexuality and behavior has been explored through the metaphors of garden, trees, and fruit since (at least) the Book of Genesis. The orchard in “Wedding Poem” provides a sliver of paradise  in the midst of a built environment. It is a window into a place and time before original sin, before the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the garden. In this place, joyful intercourse between living beings is not only natural, but also openly observable. One must only look to the orchard, the speaker says, to affirm and share in the presence of love in the world.