tree sign

It’s unnatural for a tree to stand alone. Something catastrophic has happened to cause such a condition. I wonder if the solo tree, isolated from its species to the point that its roots can’t communicate with any recognizable life-form, feels that it alone exists in the world. The famously lonely Tree of Ténéré stood for 300 years in the Sahara along an ancient caravan route until it was knocked over by a drunk driver. Except for sand there was nothing around the solitary acacia for miles and miles; it was so isolated some say it was considered taboo to touch it. What must it have thought of its existence? Does one even exist without the confirmation afforded by the witness of another? I feel drawn to isolated trees. Partly because the balance of negative space and subject, but also because they draw from me an emotion that I can’t quite name. Perhaps it’s a blend of several emotions that can’t be named due to complexity or contradiction. For Dani, the draw is much more practical; she needs the tree to guide her. It’s a signpost to another place.