Poem about an historic pome

From [on the matter of the newtown pippin] by Matthew Kremer

the 'newtown pippin'
is a species known
within the growing
community as a cultivar.
now, apple gardening is
admittedly far beyond
my powers as an armchair
moralist to comprehend,
but it seems powerful enough
of a phrase to think about
on a figurative level--
a matter of evolution
within confines.
the slow crawl.
as years went by,
aficionados took the tree
to virginia and renamed it
the 'abermarle.'
the origin of the thing
began at the farm
of gersham moore,
which occupied the corner
of broadway and 45th ave,
near present-day 'winner's bar,'
where few winners are.
the last time i was there
was during the nfc
divisional playoff games
in mid-january during a storm.
the man next to me placed
a $500 bet on philadelphia
to cover the 4 point spread
and was buying drinks for
anyone in his vicinity.
i took a stella artois
from him and sat there
for most of the contest
encouraging his resolve.
as the game slipped away
and new orleans piled on
a late insurance touchdown,
i saw him slumped over
on the stool texting away
and didn't say goodbye.

Some Jews go to great lengths to protect fruit trees

From the NY Times:

In certain Orthodox Jewish communities, from Borough Park to Monsey, N.Y., rabbis say, there is a strong aversion to chopping down fruit trees, which results from some combination of biblical verses, Jewish law and mystical documents that prohibit destroying them wantonly. In New York City, where space is tight and the option to build out in another direction generally does not exist, that means friendly neighborhood foliage can present an especially hard challenge.

“It’s an extraordinary reminder of the kind of spiritual consciousness people need to be able to sustain, particularly in urban settings,” said Rabbi Saul J. Berman, an associate professor of Jewish studies at Yeshiva University. “You see this tree and the way it’s being guarded, and suddenly you realize there’s something going on here besides just human needs.”

Interpretations may vary, but several rabbis, including Rabbi Berman, Rabbi Mayer Schiller and Rabbi Gavriel Zinner, who has written more than two dozen books on Jewish law and tradition, say this practice emerged from a passage in Deuteronomy: Even in wartime, one should not chop down your enemies’ fruit trees. There are also Talmudic sources, some said. And a mystical document called the Will of Rabbi Yehudah HaChosid, which dates back nearly 1,000 years and tends to hold more sway in Hasidic communities, took it further.

“He very cryptically asserted that it’s really dangerous to cut down a fruit-bearing tree because you’re tampering with God’s property,” Rabbi Berman said. “And if you want to tamper with God’s property, be cautious.”