The Lone Tree

I live out in a farm land area of North Carolina. I like it out here because it’s quiet and I kind of like being around the farm lands. It’s peaceful. One thing that I have always liked since I moved out here is this huge pine tree that sits in the middle of a big field they use to grow cotton, soy beans and sweet potatoes. What I liked about the tree is that it stood alone. Alone in this field as if it was watching over the land. It was a thing of beauty and was probably close to a hundred years old or so. In the middle of this field it has withstood heavy winds and lightening storms and has never fallen by the hand of nature.

Over the weekend I noticed a modular or double-wide trailer in the yard of a house not too far from the tree. I didn’t think anything of it until I went to check the mail this morning and saw a cement truck out in the field past the tree. I figured they were setting the foundation for the house, but then I noticed something was wrong. They had cut the tree down. I can’t think of any good reason why they would want to cut this tree down besides maybe the fact that when they run power lines it would be in the way. That or some redneck or his wife thought it was an eyesore, which is a sorry excuse to cut it down.

I know this has nothing to do with men’s health, but I just hated to see this and wanted to talk about it. Luckily I took a picture of the tree when it was still standing. I don’t have any memories of the tree as some people that have lived around here for some time probably do, but I bet they are thinking the same thing. I know some may say “It’s just a tree”, but to me it was THE tree. It symbolized survival, strength and had a certain humbleness to it that I can’t really describe in words.

When they cleared that land for farming someone must have decided to leave that tree there for a reason. Perhaps it stood there at one time to provide shade for cattle as most trees amidst a pasture do. Maybe that was the case and it really no longer served it’s purpose. Either way I’ll miss that tree and hopefully the wood from that tree will go to good use in some way or another. Just another thing of simple beauty, cut down by the hand of man in the name of development. I certainly hope this wasn’t cut down to make room for a trailer park.