Wolf & Witch

Nearly a decade ago my wife and I moved to this property of ours. When we arrived, a small willow-tree was growing in the front yard. She was beneath a grove of older maple trees and too close to the septic system of the house, so we decided it would be best to move her. She has grown over the years, not unlike the Witch who transplanted her, and has become a beautiful sight to behold year-round.

The tree has grown now, almost 20 feet tall with a trunk nearly a foot in diameter. She stands beside two low-spots in the back corner of the property, deliberately placed where the most water would settle and help her grow. I have slowly begun to cultivate the grasses surrounding her so that in years to come, I can put a small bench or swing beneath her branches.

In the winter during our increasingly frequent snowstorms, I have taken to hanging a lantern from her branches. As the wind blows and the snow whips about, the lantern becomes a small beacon of life and warmth that pierces through the cold. Standing there, feeling the chill try to penetrate my bones, I will focus my eyes firmly on the flame and breathe.

There is no time more silent than a snowstorm. Even in slumber, the Willow Maid is beautiful.