In the haze of smoke
In the smoke and ash today are trees that burned two years ago.
Some have snapped in the wind, branches falling to the ground, black-charred bark revealing clean heartwood in a jagged break.
Others still hold their brittle pinecones, their ashen needles, and sway in the wind that fans nearby flames. They are fire-stripped, exposed.
There are forests of them, these dead trees. I hope that somehow, through bare branches and root memory, they know they’re not alone.
Originally published on Instagram @meghanfandrich
