the stump

A couple years ago in March we had a huge blizzard.  It shut down most of Denver for about three days, and left trees and bushes in bad shape.  Our front porch is lined by a row of bushes whose green leaves turn a vibrant red in the fall.  In the blizzard of 2003, one bush on the end was severely damaged.  All that was left after being pummelled by snow drifts crashing off the roof was a small stump.  We wondered if we should replace it, but we're really too lazy for that.  So we left it alone, and it is slowly growing back.  It still looks a little dwarfed in comparison to its neighbors, and it is truly a late bloomer.  All the other bushes have shed their leaves, but this one has just turned red.

This morning, as I was just riding a wave of wakefulness, I had a picture of this bush in my mind, and the strongest sense that it is somehow a picture of me.  I don't know quite what that means, but it has haunted me all day.