When I was in Harrisburg last week,
My sister and I took lawnchairs and sketchpads to pay tribute to a tree.
Its transient blossoms were even then dropping and
Their pinkness was so pale I thought them white.
Sitting there and sketching was really just an excuse to sit still,
To spend quality time with my sister
And admit the tree to our communion
(Communion is easier if you have an excuse).
Our excuse was clutching pens,
Applying the downward pressure
The tree guiding our hands on the sketch pads
The way a ghost would steer a pair of Ouija pointers.
Amy's sketch:
My Sketch:
Historical footnote
The tree we sketched sits on the remains of Fort Couch, really just a hilltop trench dug in the same year as the nearby Battle of Gettysburg.



You're right: communion is easier if you have an excuse.
Now I know why I can't draw. I'm a bad channeler!
Posted by: Peter | April 22, 2008 at 06:38 PM
I am embarassed that it didn't occur to me to do this w/ you when you were kids.
Posted by: your mom | May 05, 2008 at 01:42 PM