Growing Under the Canopy

I came across this photo I hadn't seen before. My mother snapped it while I was picking apples from a tree in my backyard.

Recently my daughter recommended The Island of Missing Trees, a fictional tale by Elif Shafak about the role of a tree in the lives of a couple who met in Cyprus. I've only just begun reading it, so I can't say yea or nah whether I'll recommend it myself. So far, though, the author has drawn me in with her fig tree's narrative.

I'm fascinated by things that were here long before I existed and will continue on after me.

I often find myself wondering at the old trees around my property, imagining the things they've been witness to and reactive toward during their long lives.

Those trees grew as my family did, as well as the families before mine. We've had some cut down because they were diseased and dying. The ones that remain will carry on when a new generation moves in and more children grow under the canopy.

This post is for subscribers only

Already have an account? Sign in.