I take a seat on a wooden bench underneath the cool shade of an old tree. I look to my left and see a highway full of rushing cars. To my right grassy hills fill my vision as far as I can see. In the middle of all this stands the tree. The tree was planted on the side of a well cut grass walking trail provided for the public. It provides a vantage point to view the world, and the people in it. When I am in the presence of the tree I feel at peace, calm, and still. I turn on the wooden bench to face the tree. It stands like a statute, well grounded and rooted deep. The trunk of the tree is blanketed by cracked bark. Nailed deeply into the bark is a green street sign that reads, “OASIS”. As my eyes begin to wander farther up the tree I notice it starting to branch out. Each branch leads to the next spreading out far from the base of the tree in all different directions. Following each branch with my eyes I notice a few that have been robbed of their life. The few dead branches found throughout the tree are suppressed by the flourishing life of the other branches. Green leaves hang freely from each branch, being blown side to side by the gentle wind. The leaves on the ground surrounding the tree are constantly being picked up and put down softly over and over again. I take a deep breath and exhale slowly as I change positions in my seat. The faint sound of an airplane catches my attention, as I look into the sky. Deep in the ocean blue sky, I spot a tiny white plane flying towards me. As it gets closer the sound gets louder, continuously filling my ears with a high pitched whoosh. I watch it as it effortlessly glides over my head, slowly disappearing into the thin milky white clouds. Once the plane had left my sight, the sound of the roaring highway becomes overwhelming. Each car drives by at high speeds, cutting cleanly through the air around it. As each car makes its way down the highway, the howl grows quiet. Not long passes until another car replaces the sound of the last, each one leading to the next. Sitting near the busy highway I get a feeling that time is working against me, a feeling that I might just run out of time, a feeling that I need to rush. The busyness of the highway is matched by the
Native to the United States, cottonwood trees’ preferred habitat in the wild include moist bottomland areas and around lakes and streams. Those wishing to add one to their landscape need to consider all aspects of the tree before planting, as the tree has a variety of drawbacks that don’t make it suitable for many locations.
When we visited it the next morning, we found the tree shattered in a singular manner. It was not splintered by the shock, but entirely reduced to thin ribbons of wood. I never beheld anything so utterly destroyed.”
Walking alone down the path, the wind blowing through the forest making the trees rustle. I looked up to the green leaves moving and the birds flying around Singing. I stop walking for a split second and I look around enjoying nature but then I hear a scream. I spin around multiple times to see where it came from, so I start to jog down the path quickening to a sprint. I turn my head in every direction not knowing what to do, so I start to walk again, breathing heavily and my feet crunching against the rocky path. I put my mind to the wind and the singing birds again. I get more relaxed when I started to feel rain falling against me. The sound of rain dripping, the birds singing and the wind rustling made me stop and think how peaceful life
As corpses permeate the graveyard, the ability sustain life itself comes into question; Olds warps the significance of the tree to argue that life is no longer sustainable. Due to the lack of enough wood for coffins, the disposal of corpses exemplify desperation and require inhumane treatment. The sheer number of corpses necessitates that many are “Bound with rope like the tree's ball of roots / When it waits to be planted”(7-8). Literally converting poisonous carbon dioxide into oxygen, a tree preserves life on earth. Ironically, as the
Tree appears dysfunctional like the Walls’ Family, but under the dysfunction is the love that succeeds on hardships, like the tree. The tree that the mother spots in the desert is metaphor of the effect the struggles of life have on each of the characters in the story. Constantly blown by wind, the Joshua tree grows sideways, “Mom, however, thought it was one of the most beautiful trees she had ever seen”(walls,35). The Walls children can be seen as one of these trees, their lives shaped by the consistency of their parents' frequent moves and questionable habits. Jeannette tries to resist at first when living in New York. Not wanting anyone to know about her past or judge her for allowing her parents to remain homeless. However her attempts
“He’s not chopping it down. He’s saving it. Those branches were long dead from a disease. All plants are like that. By cutting off the damage, you make it possible for the tree to grow again. You watch—by the end of summer, this tree will be the strongest on the block” (187). Melinda’s disease to an unhealthy tree was the silence of the rape. Melinda holding in the dreadful memory without telling anyone, kept her from becoming the tree she wanted to draw. Like removing the sick branches off to keep the tree healthy, Melinda had to speak up about the trauma. Once Melinda stood up for herself, the tree, which is actually her, can grow to its full
The exhilaration of a terrifyingly glorious leap sends ardent shrills down my spine. As I fly through the thick canopy of leafy chlorophyll-filled greens, I reach out to the sky and the sun smiles back at me. Inhaling the fresh raw air, the earthy petrichor floods my nostrils with an indescribably sprightly scent; I thank the prolific trees for such a crisp, oxygen abundant delight.
My family and I had boarded an hour long bus ride that rode to Sequoia National Park. As usual I kept my eyes closed during the trip, so I wouldn't have felt motion sick. I was excited for The General Sherman because its the biggest tree to exist being 275 feet I had no music to listen play, so I sat in silence. While riding I looked out the window to see morning sunlight shining. when we arrived I stood out smelling the scent the redwoods created, and breathed fresh air, After checking the parks map we decided on taking a bus closer to The General Sherman. we gave our thanks to our driver exiting the bus; following the main path we learned about the parks history, and also got to talk many travelers enjoying the trip like us. I was using
Nature has always provided a sanctuary for me, especially during the Spring and the Summer. The beautiful trees, flowers, and long grasses in the local nature preserve have always provided me with great joy and freedom in my leisure time. More importantly, I have always enjoyed doing nature hikes with my friends. In the Spring of 2013, I decided I wanted to hike with a group of people, instead of hiking by myself. I chose Allison, James, and Sheila to be my companions for a day-hike into the depths of the woodlands. During the hike, Allison told me about a really large oak tree that she had seen deep in the middle of the forest. She had actually given the tree a name: “Big Albert”. Allison had told us that she had named the tree after her big brother. Tragically, Albert had died in a car accident in 2010, so all of us were inspired to join Allison in this spiritual quest. All of us were very surprised to hear of this tree, since old oaks were very rare in these parts. We decided that it would be our mission to find
The wonderful blooms of the trees planted firmly, bring out the amazing blue of the sky. The old dock with mysteries that overlooks the cool water create a sense of wonder. The rustic old swing provides anyone who stumble across a feeling of comfort in the secluded forest. The tree with many years will continue to be there for anyone who has the opportunity to come across it. This sacred space gives someone a feeling of belonging as it comforts them and makes it feels safe with the vibrant colors displayed among the beauty. Among all, the components that create the glamorous attraction, make one feel welcome and create a longing to go back once again to savor the calming feelings created
It is a rule of nature that whenever an outside force threatens to destroy a body embedded in a community, that the members of that entrenched body will collaborate to exorcise that hostile opponent. In the same way, during times of outward peace, members of the same community will begin to oppose each other and order themselves by an individually reasoned likelihood of survival. Correspondingly, humans will often align themselves with others of similar political philosophy during times of international hostility but turn on themselves during times of international tranquility, forming intranational difficulty. This domestic destabilization, which may be incredibly minor or catastrophically important, will lead to the formation of factions.
Then wind swept away branches and old lumber that sat in the front yard and swung and tossed it around in the air like dancing balloons debris flew around. With a spine tingling snap crash the window shattered and the branch from the apple tree that sat in the front yard came tumbling to a stop clattering at my base. The rain came pouring in the gaping window soaking everything in it’s path in freezing water. As a tornado ripped through the countryside tumbling trees, cars, people, and houses the swirling black mass of destruction narrowly passed. Without warning a truck skipped across the yard towards the house. Counting down the seconds before the truck would arrive and rip through the house, I chimed write at five o’clock and I realized what would happen. With unbelievable ease the truck ripped through the house sending wood and concrete everywhere. Splintered wood and twisted metal shrapnel was sent across the yard and I was struck by the crushing weight of the truck, finally my time had
I lay in the center, listening to soft music my iPod or the birds lulling me into a deep meditation. It is in this spot that I’ve had the deepest conversations with myself, coming to realizations and understandings about my relationships to life, others, and me. The secluded stillness allows my brain to freely wander, explore, and reflect deep concepts coming to profound insights that further benefit me in this crazy journey I call life. The winds, curves, inclines, declines of the trail makes it a perfect path to jog on. The isolation from the outside world makes it easy for my mind to focus on nothing but the task at hand – which is making it all the way around the 3-mile trail without stopping. Although, most times this doesn’t happen because I’m so taken back by the surrounding beauty. I always stop to take in the deep blue sky or the butterflies fluttering gracefully through the field of wild flowers. But when I am running I feel virtually weightless physically and mentally. My mind is blank allowing me to become one with my surroundings. The feeling of the cool crisp air breezing through my hair relaxes me as I intensely run to the heart pumping music blasting through my headphones. The path winds throughout an open field into a forest where you come out by the base cemetery. Passing it constantly fills me with emotion, carrying not only the weight for
As I left behind the somber forest, I now recognized an appreciation for nature that I did not realize I had. I now knew there was more to nature than just trees and animals, but also I found the
Growing up I have tender memories of watching the majestic oak tree go thru numerous seasons. Each change of time brought on another milestone in my life. Climbing the branches I learned so much about life and myself. Looking down from the tree I learned more about others then I would being stuck on the ground alone. At the age of 5, I can fondly remember my step father building a tree house in that oak tree and attaching a rope swing. The addition of the treehouse brought a new love into my life, but it never took away love of my tree.