The leaves are mostly gone and tree branches are silhouettes in the gray skies these days. The other morning during the predawn I was lying on my side watching the lake wake up, all cozy beneath tons of blankets when I saw a man looking back at me. It wasn't a real man, but a tree man created by layers of leaves and branches in oaks and hickories between our house and the lake. His eye was very detailed with an iris and pupil and a perfect eyebrow. His hair was created by the filigreed tendrils of a shagbark hickory. There was the suggestion of a nose and the beautiful curve of his upper lip. He was very handsome, this tree man. His head was cocked as though resting upon a pillow. If I moved in the slightest the tree man would come undone, so I laid there as long as I could watching him watching me until my right side started tingling from lack of movement. I thought later that I would try to capture him with my camera, so I went back to the bedroom, laid down and tried to find him. He was gone. The wind was blowing by then and the leaves and branches were buffling about. I'm not ready to let go of autumn. The golden hickories and red oaks and yellow maples and ragged buckeyes still call to me from my Autumn 2008 photo file. Hope you enjoy them as much as I do.
4 comments:
THis is a beautiful photo Deb. Winter moved in to our area last night.
Hi Debi, you have painted a wonderful picture in my mind of seeing the handsome tree man, right down to the tingling in your side from lack of movement. Fall was too short here also, winter moved in and won't leave, he came way too soon.
Frances
Hi Debi,
For me, this was your best prose to date! I loved it. I could "see" what you were seeing. Very nice.
Daniel
No autumn leaves around here - not 'til next fall. Winter has really settled in.
Neat image.
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