I once heard love being described as "a many splintered thing". For as solid as a tree can be, throughout all the years it can grow and survive, even in the harshest of conditions, it thrives. It protects. Its leaves grow, briefly brightening the world with a kaleidoscope of color, only to cascade to the earth with a whirl. After the leaves have disappeared, what remains standing strong? Who endures? The tree.
The quote came to mind this morning because my love is experiencing some splinters. Our foundation, our wood--Its not smooth right now. My tree is blowing and bucking against the jarring wind. Its crying leaves are falling around me. As I move in the opposite direction of the wind, my love, my tree, is poking me with its splinters. The tree is rattling. The leaves are falling. Wind chases me. I can see them all, the colors being memories, spread around me like the train of my wedding dress. Spinning around, I can see visions of the future that I'd hoped would return in Spring. Spring came and went. Summer is almost at its end. Time for the leaves to start there annual shedding. Right now, I want to be the tree. I need to stand tall. I want to embrace the wind and let it know I will remain. But the wind refuses to calm, so I loosen my grip. I can't save the fallen leaves. I will remain the tree that longs to catch the wind. The combination of wind and tree can create damage. But they can also spread seeds & leaves that bring new life and multiply love.
Thank God I can write and feel some sense of relief. I followed up with a few folks and have an interview scheduled for Thursday with one of Philly's top radio personalities. Don't you wonder which one? I'll give you a hint. Its someone from this station. This ought to be good.
One thing that I need to constantly remind myself of is a lot of this writing game involves putting your best out there and not necessarily getting the results you would expect when you give your best. Sometimes its best to step back (aka the weekend), regroup, and keep pushin' forward. Progress comes slow and fast. But as long as its coming, you learn to move when it moves whatever the pace, and press on. So I press.
After perusing today's news I saw a few things. The "Queen of Mean" passed away yesterday, Foxy Brown got in more trouble, and Michael Vick is going to plead guilty. I knew I couldn't let an alleged dog killer story be the last thing I read before getting back to my short story. I came across this article, and that confirmed no matter how much negativity is going on in the world, somewhere, somehow, the balance of positivity is always happening. Sometimes you just have to seek it out.
3 comments:
Trees can endure a lot of stressors, but you have to ask what is causing nature's furror...if it is nature. They say global warming is becoming a problem. If it's not nature, it could it be the landowners fault for not taking care of his property. Does the landowner mow his lawn, fertilizes his grass with lots of love? Or, does he allows his dog to urinate on that tree day after day; does the owner uses the tree to vent his frustrations such as taking a baseball bat and just strike the tree many times with the force of a homerun hitter? This would cause the bark (the protective layer)to come off. Some people buy land not knowing how much work have to be committed to its upkeep day after day, month after month, year after year. It may come a time when the landowner should sell his property before it loses it value. Who knows, there maybe a property owner who just LOVES doing the chores around the house. That person may even have a better vision for being creative and bringing out the full protential of the landscape. Just maybe.
The Carolina Gardener says...
Trees may be the oldest and largest living things in nature. The operative word here is, living.
Living every day that is given no matter how beautiful, sunny, harsh or windy.
What this Gardener knows for sure is that this tree has amazing far reaching roots that have been growing stronger everyday, every season, every year. Viewing this growth swells my chest with overwhelming pride. This tree has learned to revel in the beautiful days, to bask in the sun, to endure the harshness of the day and to sway and bend with the wind....and remain standing strong and looking forward!!
Just my 2 cents. When have you ever seen a tree and marvelled at its beauty? Wow! What a beautiful tree that is? Rarely i'm sure. Not being a tree hugger myself I can say I never have. But I have enjoyed the shade, the leaves are pretty in the fall when they turn bright with color, (funny that's right before they die). There is one thing that I know about Ta-Knee-Sha (smile) and that is that she sees beauty in damn near everything. Being on the outside looking in I don't imagine her to be the type to abuse her very own tree for she values those things that she loves. I've always admired her tenacity, her quite strength and yes her endurance. Her ability to keep on going when others would have given up. Tanisha has inspired me to lovingly rub the bark on my ugly old tree more than once and to see that it was beautiful enough to not chop down. Something we've never considered, sometimes just maybe the tree gets tired of it's roots and wants to move on.... Sunshine is seen as "too much damn heat." rain is seen as "Just too wet." Fertilizer becomes "stinking ass shit!" and all of the landowners hard work is looked down upon and discounted, the landowner may do well moving on to their azaelas for they may be more appreciative of the nuturing.
Just my 2 cents...
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