Light Fog
Oct 26 2020
Here,
in a landscape that's foreign to me
the trees, wreathed in mist
seem almost otherworldly.
With their deeply corrugated bark
fantastic limbs
abruptly tapered trunks.
With the moss, draping them
like the wild hair and long grey beards
of wise old men,
who live lives of quiet contemplation
sitting in repose
legs crossed.
In this warm wet latitude
the forest is dark beneath the canopy,
its trees
diverse, fecund, extreme.
As if easy living
has given permission to experiment
with alien leaves
and strange exotic forms,
a mythological landscape
for someone like me
an intruder from the north.
We have sent probes into space
and men will surely follow,
searching for evidence
we are not alone;
yet are shockingly unfamiliar
with this planet we call home.
Have been poor stewards
of this singular world
in all its breath-taking complexity,
thoughtlessly squandering our birthright
not even knowing what we've lost.
I crane my neck
trying to see all the way to the top,
magnificent trees
with the well-weathered look
of ancient artifacts,
the gravitas
that comes with age.
The permanence
of something grounded
and certain of its place.
Silent sentinels
that have been standing there forever;
serenely observing
the passage of time,
growing slowly older
content among their kind.
The 11th Epson International Pano Awards honour the best work of panoramic photographers from around the world. The Atlantic published a photo essay of the 2020 winners. They were all breath-taking, but this one in particular struck me. No doubt my soft spot for trees. The only information I have is that it was taken in Texas, is titled Light Fog, and is attributed to the copyright holder Eren Atis.
https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2020/10/winners-2020-epson-international-pano-awards/616868/
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