"Broken Hearted"

I'm calling this picture 'Broken Hearted', this oak tree was broken by Gustav. I have been passing by this tree on the way to and from work regularly and kept meaning to take a picture. The first time I saw it, it struck me as having been such a clear shape of a heart that I could feel the spirit of the tree, like so many others, baring its soul to the world, exposed.


It also lead me to thoughts of other trees I'd seen; that somehow, even though they were broken (the ones that were left standing,) they were somehow better off for the limbs that had fallen or been torn off. Somehow, in some bizarre way, the trees were made more healthy by loosing branches that had been too heavy, or rotten. The tree devastation around here was/is profound. Not two weeks ago the tree crews were in and around just hauling off so many trees that it was actually causing traffic congestion (for the number of trucks involved.)

I suppose because I'm always looking at the bigger pictures, I have in my adult life seen things like Hurricanes as cleansing. I realize this might not be a welcomed thought for those who lost houses, possessions, power for weeks or their comfort, but I just can't help but see it that way. I have a weird feeling that the trees think of it this way too.


I also went through the entire line of 'if humans weren't so prolific' would this have even been such a devastating thing? In many areas, it's obvious that, if not for the clearing of land for construction, some of the larger trees that fell or were torn up would have been just fine, protected by the thick 'trash trees'. A prime example would be a neighbor up the road from us who, when he built his house, brought in extra dirt to build up the yard and the area where the house would be. He took a bobcat and ran over that dirt until it was all packed down, right around and over the roots of all of the pecan trees in his yard. Pecans aren't the heartiest of trees when it comes to their root systems, they really need to be left alone and left to breathe if they're to survive long enough to get good, deep roots. At any rate, that poor family lost 2/3rds of their pecan trees, and because of this did the most damage to any power lines in our area.


So, here's to the broken hearted trees, and how I feel every time I see them, broken, torn, ripped from the ground, toppled over with their root balls exposed to God and everyone. I'm trying to see the beneficial, because it's all that keeps me from anger and crying, even though the tears are still close.