A Tale of a Plum Tree

A different tree

When I first noticed the tree, I didn't realize what it was. It was nothing but a pink cloud up the hill from my house, like a tarp lit up by a searchlight, however as the hours of the early morning passed, and the light remained on, I began to re-think my theory. Yet my curiosity remained: I had never noticed this pink cloud before, and it seemed so out of place that I couldn’t contain myself. I took advantage of a late night trip to the bank (it’s a long story) and took the long way home, driving straight past the strange pink cloud to discover its identity. It was a tree--a plum tree lit up by a single streetlight. 

I was enchanted by the tree. It may sound odd, and while I can’t say I had ever really looked, I had never seen a sight quite like this before. I walked up the hill to stand under the tree, and gazed up at the tree as the white LEDs of the streetlamp lit up the petals of each individual blossom. I stood there for several minutes, taking in the cool night air, and gazing at the blossoms, glowing under the street light, like millions of tiny Chinese lanterns. After getting home from my walk, I looked up the hill again to glance at the strange pink cloud--now identified.

Two days later, I awoke early to the sound of a mulcher running: the tree dying, I’m sure of it, though I can’t prove it. I didn’t become aware that the tree was even gone until that night when I noticed that same pink cloud-like form was missing. When I walked up the hill to find out why, I made the sad discovery. Was I devastated? No...disappointed is a better word. I now have memories... the cool night air, dim lighting, and the glow of the flower’s pink petals. None of that would ever repeated, and the site was cleaned up so well, that if I hadn’t been able to collect a few blossoms, I could have been convinced that it was a dream.

After I got gathered and pressed a handful of blossoms, I went out for a walk around the neighborhood to see if I could find another tree in a similar situation. Street lights cast halos of light not unlike the full moon, scattering their light over everything, but no fruit trees were basking in the spotlight. I did find other trees with blossoms, but they were just out of the reach of the streetlights as if they were hiding away: as if the one tree I managed to observe had been the only one bold enough to stand under the streetlight and be seen.

I am disappointed by the loss of this tree, especially since I had so little time to enjoy it. I had been hoping to make my evening walks into a bit of a tradition. Had I known it would be cut down, I would have taken some pictures, perhaps just one. It may seem pathetic that I focus so much on a single tree, but it just serves to illustrate a fact of life. Things that we see one day, may be gone the next. Dams are built, subdivisions constructed, trees become diseased and fall every minute, trees bearing initials of lovers, or trees that the elderly climbed as children. Every bit of nature that we treasure, from the majesty of the grand canyon, to sprouts in the garden are temporary to one degree or another. So I suppose I leave this adventure of mine with two thoughts: it’s important to not get too attached to our world, or take those scenes in nature for granted...nothing lasts forever. So don’t get too attached to this temporary world of ours, but when you find something that stands out, even something as insignificant as a small tree on a hillside, don’t take it for granted.