Introduction: Max Rael wrote to say: "Winter Trees on the bonus disc of the remastered version of Brave, is also the title of another Sylvia Plath poem."

Steve Rothery said, "At one point I did write Winter Trees, a B-side for one of the Marillion singles [The Hollow Man]. It was the idea that each of us would write some stuff on his own to use it as B-sides. In the end it looks like I was the only one actually doing it."

Here's the poem (with original US English spelling), which I found at http://www.angelfire.com/tn/plath/winter.html. Whether or not it inspired the track, I don't know, but it's certainly a possibility, especially given the Plath reference in Alone Again in the Lap of Luxury.

Winter Trees - Sylvia Plath

The wet dawn inks are doing their blue dissolve. 
On their blotter of fog the trees 
Seem a botanical drawing. 
Memories growing, ring on ring, 
A series of weddings. 

Knowing neither abortions nor bitchery, 
Truer than women, 
They seed so effortlessly! 
Tasting the winds, that are footless, 
Waist-deep in history. 

Full of wings, otherworldliness. 
In this, they are Ledas. 
O mother of leaves and sweetness 
Who are these pietas? 
The shadows of ringdoves chanting, but chasing nothing.