Adversity’s Wisdom – The Story of a Tree

The Z Tree - Everglades National Park

a curiosity, a dwarf

a must see

a centurion, perhaps doubled, tripled…

yet I live

hurricanes blast me

loggers passed me

time twisted me

but I survived

roasted and dry

I bent

withering

but did not break

thin, wiry, thirsty

nutrient deficient

limestone grasping

I hang on

with wisdom of the ages

I have a reason for tomorrow

a sure knowing

of the certainty of spring

Note: The Z Tree is a dwarf cypress. It lives by the main road reaching from Everglades National Park’s Visitor Center to Flamingo. No one knows the age of dwarf cypress trees, but they are at least 100 years old and most likely several times more. Growing on a substrate of marl and limestone they are stunted by a lack of nutrient rich soil. There, their grow is slow, allowing them to attain no more than seven feet. Conifers, they loose their leaves during Florida’s dry winter season and  leaf out again when spring brings welcome rains.

Tags: Dwarf cypress, Everglades National Park, Florida, Nature, Photography, poetry, Spirituality, Wetlands, wilderness

• March 8, 2012
• Everglades National Park, Florida, Landscapes, Photography, Poetry, Seasons, Wetlands
• 2 Comments