It is immobile as if frozen in time. It stands erect like a soldier in his sentry box.
Its colourless and rigid branches defy the life it once possessed.
I am afraid I have killed it.
Sucked the life out of it… my once verdant topiary lilac tree.
Today it still stands erect in mock salutation.
Its stickman arms reach out as if to touch something or perhaps someone.
It doesn’t move.
I think it is mad at me, as I have stripped it of its leaves, its colour and its reason for existence.
I give you water.
Please don’t die on me.
You remain unmoving and relentless in your ability to upset me.
Your withered, ashen and stick-like appendages extend in all directions.
Are you looking forward to your dormant state?
Will you resurrect to bring me joy once again?
I yearn for your chaotic leafy presence.
Don’t desert me now.
We have come so far together.
Take all the time you need.
You know I’m going to miss you and talk about you when you’re gone.
That was last winter… now it is spring and my verdant friend has returned and greeted me lovingly with his resurrection. The leaves are healthy and alive although there are no signs of lilac blooms.
Nevertheless, I am overjoyed.
Today, I planted bright, cheerful geraniums under the spring sunshine, willing them to grow and flourish which I know they will.
I have great plans for my patio pots and look forward to the glorious panorama of colour. I will get dirt under my fingernails as I water, plant and fertilize and admire my handiwork. Nature’s bounty on display for me to enjoy.
It never ceases to amaze me what a miracle spring is. Every year, she graces us with her presence despite our human efforts to destroy the earth and give Mother Nature another challenge to overcome.
We have natural disasters including forest fires, floods and endless rain. Oil spills and development replacing natural habitats. Global warming and fracking… whatever that is. Smog, pesticides and pollution.
Yet, spring thumbs her nose at us and graces us again with her presence. She is an optimist. A bright light. A beacon of renewal.
Kind of like Zoomers, forever reinventing themselves as they continue on their journey of renewal and renaissance. Despite all the challenges, nothing can keep us down as we bounce back into the foray of our adventure.
As the ink dries on my final divorce papers, I am amazed at how far I have come in my erratic and tumultuous journey of reinvention. And you, tireless reader, have been with me through most of it. It is kind of fun not knowing what the next day will bring or what adventure lies in wait. My Zoomer columns of the future will let us know.
I am reminded of the words of poet David Whyte: …sometimes with the bones of the black sticks when the fire has gone out. Someone has written something new in the ashes of your life. You are not leaving. You are arriving.
And I am travelling light with a spring in my step.
CARP communications director April Lewis writes monthly.