No, not the palm of your hand—I’m talking about palm trees. I just love palm trees. I think I must have lived in a warmer climate in a previous life or something. For some reason, there’s always been an inextricable connection between me and those tall, frondy trees. I have doodled them endlessly, clear back to my college days. Palm trees are just so… so… I dunno… proud and stubbornly independent, I guess.
Two weeks ago I desperately needed a palm tree fix. The whole summer, if you can call it that, had passed without me spending at least a couple days in glorious sunshine, sweating in the heat of the lower latitudes. I was feeling quite pale and possibly anemic when I decided “What the hell!,” logged onto Costco.com and clicked on “Travel.” In less time than it takes to say “Suntan Lotion,” my last-minute, south-of-the-border, show-me-the-sunshine trip was booked!
With a few clicks of the mouse, I was on my way. And while I don’t often include poetry in my blog postings, perhaps you’ll find something to enjoy in this one, penned while sitting poolside surrounded by tropical foliage:
Affinity for palms
It must be heat
that forces palms
to confine their foliage
to lofty skyward tops
Defying climate conditions
the trees push upward
against common sense
away from root water
Independent and proud
like an extended middle finger
a sure sign of life
belligerent and free