I Can See Clearly Now/The Rain

There is an Asian elm tree that I can see out of my office window. In the winter, its branches trace intricate lines against the pale sky. Every few years, an arborist casts ropes through the branches and climbs up to trim the tree. One year, he pointed out a fork in the trunk with a rippled scar. He wasn’t sure, he said, but he thought it could have been lightning.

We almost cut the tree down when we first moved in. We had plans. Additions and improvements, efficiency, sustainability, modern living.