To Be A Tree, Sheltering

In the past few years it has come to light that trees are all connected under the earth, sharing information and nutrients via an extensive fungal network. We are learning and relearning in this global crisis what the trees have always known- that we are all connected and must care and shelter one another.

As many of us who are able to, maintain social distance and stay home as much as possible, we are providing shelter for all the other people in our families, our neighborhoods, our hospitals, our society and our country. Maybe we can learn from the trees, which for more years than we know, have provided so much to our planet and all living beings, selflessly. Sheltering and making life possible for others. Maybe….

I created this encaustic mixed media piece for the spring season of the Cappaert Contemporary Gallery in Door County, Wisconsin. Been working to get all the work framed and packed and shipped out before further shutdowns. We must remain optimistic and carry on, right?

This poem, this morning, resonated with me.

To Be Held
-Linda Hogan

To be held
by the light
was what I wanted,
to be a tree drinking the rain,
no longer parched in this hot land.
To be roots in a tunnel growing
but also to be sheltering the inborn leaves
and the green slide of mineral
down the immense distances
into infinite comfort
and the land here, only clay,
still contains and consumes
the thirsty need
the way a tree always shelters the unborn life
waiting for the healing
after the storm
which has been our life.