Haiku: Tree World

I think every person should have access to trees – to enjoy, to touch, to revere. Sadly, I know that some people don’t…and I have lived in places with very few trees, stunted creatures that did their best to survive surrounded by concrete, blanketed by pollution, and subjected to abuse and neglect. They still put forth their hopeful leaves and continued reaching toward the sun – and making oxygen for the people too preoccupied to notice them, let alone appreciate them.

I vastly prefer living, as I do now, in a place with trees. I find it difficult (if not impossible) to feel angry or stressed when looking up into the leafy canopy, shielded from the sun’s rays. It’s quiet and soothing there. Birds sing from the branches, nests hidden high above. Under the tree, it’s almost a different world.

Learn more about the health – and other – benefits of trees here.

Haiku: The Changeling

I recently had the fortune of noticing this incredible chrysalis hanging from a thread wrapped several times around a tulip poplar sapling’s branch. Whatever’s inside is safely ensconced in its protective, papery wrapper…hopefully, to emerge soon in its full glory. Dare I hope to witness its emergence? I hope that something beautiful and utterly wondrous comes forth. I really do.

Haiku: Peaceful Pines

Through the vicissitudes of life, when uncertainty and turmoil further erode the fragile veneer of civilization, the trees stand watch. They were here before us and will be here after us. Despite our (humans’) attempts to destroy them – cutting, burning, poisoning – they persist. I celebrate them, bathing in their resilience and quiet energy, and I’m thankful that there are still trees to be enjoyed.

Now may be an opportune moment to spend some time with a gentle arboreal giant…may you find peace in these trying times.

Haiku: Under Cover Of Darkness

It snowed yesterday and continued overnight. The puffy morning clouds present in the gloriously sunny morning gradually coalesced into an oddly bright – though thickly cloudy – “snow sky” in the afternoon. Later, the snow fell in big, carefree flakes; watching it float down, swirling, is like witnessing the dance of thousands of tiny crystalline butterflies…mesmerizing, magical moments.

I hope that you, too, still marvel at the world’s everyday beauty – and if you’re able, go play in the snow!