LAKE ANTRIM/gunther
January 7, 2019
By Arthur H. Gunther III
thecolumnrule.com
(also on Facebook)
The tree stands alone, but there is enough evidence in the fog that others are in the background. It is sturdy, seemingly well-rooted, still with leaves and in a field of pleasing color. Of optimism, this photograph.
A metaphor, perhaps, for durability in turbulent, uncertain times when roots cannot always be planted, when there may be no one to have your back, when color is reduced to a limited spectrum chosen by the few.
Yet the tree survives and promises continued growth despite pessimism, for it is the opposite.
The fog is thick and does not suggest a quick retreat. And that may be to the good, the fog a reflector for the infinite variety of color keeping the tree company.
Cozy, too, such a scene, for the invitation is to sit a spell, to chill, to forget the commute, the to-do list, the endless appointments.
Sunday in the park with a tree. Optimism.
The writer is a retired newspaperman. ahgunther@yahoo.com