Early

Walking up over the side of Peters Hill toward the meadow last week, there’s a different tone to the scene, especially early in the morning, my usual time. The sky is just getting light and because there’s no canopy of trees here, it’s brighter than the time of day would suggest. A bit confusing…

Standing out against the background greenery, these two trees are stark. Their exposed limbs are barren, earlier than most other trees in their neighborhood. From a distance it’s hard to tell whether there’s some disease or just the usual ravages of early autumn.

By now more trees resemble these two. Yet last week when I encountered them, they spoke to me of what was coming. At that moment, I was taken by the excitement of change. Now, as life has moved into that dance more fully, I sit with the empty branches and imagine the wait for the return of leaves. The cycle continues.