Following the simile and metaphor ideas in WALKING THROUGH A FOREST OF IMAGERY, artist Jess Palmer sent me this photograph of a 'tree in a string vest'. 
I decided to write a poem modelled on James' Reeves THE SEA, using an extended metaphor and the same structure and rhyme scheme.
Scroll down to see how the first draft took shape.

structure: 3 stanzes of 9 lines, 5 lines and 6 lines
rhyme scheme
a,b,b,c,c,d,d,d,e
c,e,f,f,e
​g,g,g,c,c,c
(A very tough rhyme scheme!)

When is a piece of writing finished? There are still plenty of things about this piece of writing that I'm not happy with. I concentrated on sticking to James Reeves' rhyme scheme, but paid little attention to line length, beats per line, emphasis and so on.
If I wanted really to love this poem and feel happy with it, I would   do a lot more work on it and likely change it completely. But the reason I wrote this poem was to use it as an example of process, so it's gone far enough. If I were to try this a second time, I would think very carefully when choosing the 'c' rhyme. Finding 6 rhyming words that work in a poem of this structure was quite taxing.

The finished poem / final draft

​
​THE TREE IN A STRING VEST
 
The tree is a weary man
Taking a break
He gives his thin arms a good shake
Then he strips to his vest in the steaming heat
The air’s caress on his torso’s so sweet.
And this erstwhile fashionable tree
Feels shabby but pleasantly free
For the old have the wisdom to see
That to covet fine clothes is conceit.
 
Ah, but once he was dapper and neat!
He was always immaculately dressed
In an ivy waistcoat and a cape of moss
He was widely esteemed as a forest boss
His leaf hankies impeccably pressed.
 
Though his string vest is comfy and cool
The copse calls him Frowzy old fool
(Some wisecracking poplars especially cruel
As though they are the upscale elite.)
He mutters rude comebacks he won’t repeat
He’s far too lofty to be indiscreet.