Strange fruit

Southern trees bear strange fruit,
Blood on the leaves and blood at the root,
Black body swinging in the Southern breeze,
Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees.

Pastoral scene of the gallant South,
The bulging eyes and the twisted mouth,
Scent of magnolia sweet and fresh,
Then the sudden smell of burning flesh!

Here is fruit for the crows to pluck,
For the rain to gather, for the wind to suck,
For the sun to rot, for the tree to drop,
Here is a strange and bitter crop.

I feel that the author doesn't use the word "lynching" as not using the word creates more sympathy for the Blacks. It is also to show the contrast between what South America is thought to be and what it actually is. "lynching" is also not used so that the setting is more detailed and lets the reader guess what is happening and not directly tell them.