Stability

Thank you for the very encouraging messages on yesterday's post. Stability is maybe why I want to share one of my random pictures today. Part of the process of moving forward with each day and its new tasks and constant challenges. It is connected to my fascination with trees. They are rooted and yet, most of the time flexible enough to sway with the strongest wind, a stable home for birds and other wildlife, and wise enough to have all kinds of protective measures against predators. I love looking at them and I wonder what kind of stories they could tell, if they had the power of speech. Maybe the question is rather... when will I learn to understand their language?

Now I live in a nation that grows millions of trees. This time of the year the forester and gardener is taking the opportunity to get ready for spring. The hum of a chainsaw is a familiar sound competing with the birds for our sensory attention. Suddenly I catch myself taking pictures of freshly cut tree stumps. It sometimes feels like I’m standing next to a culled elephant. Wisps of wet sawdust clinging to my shoes, like droplets of blood. These colossal stumps are often more than 50 years or even older and suddenly its eco-system services will seize to be. Maybe in a place where people stay in one place for more than one or even ten generations one will see new trees nurtured, maturing and more and more planted…



My romance with trees
It was
A fig tree
I first learnt to climb
To the top
Rewarded
A view of the neighbourhood
The sweetest freshest fruit
Disappearing underfoot
The value of a tree
Something good

It was
On a small platform
In an oak tree
Where I got transported
To mystery coves and lovers’ nests
Climbing up
Was the real test
My fear of heights
With a little bit of reading solitude
Blessed

It was
Under the giant leaves
Of the tree fern
We walked for long hours
At a snail’s pace
The future had only
A happy face
The innocence of our youth
Made hiking in the forest
A perfect place

It is
The living oaks
I count every time
Their telltale signs
Amongst the birch and pines
Easy to find
A childhood romance with acorn husks
Transformed to wedding rings
An island in a trunk ocean
Surviving in a lingonberry patch
Our fascination
Making it a perfect match

By Simone Beatrice Naik Noemdoe, March 29, 2011