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my father is a spreading tree

2010 January 1
by Charles Churchill

my father is a spreading tree
and I and many others
live in his shade and branches





Note: I have had this line in my head for well over a year and have been able to do nothing with it. When it first came to me, I thought perhaps it would be the basis for some grand statement on the “thinginess” of fathers, on the reality of them, on the way a father or a mother both take up and make space in the world around them, the way they give shape and meaning to the very worlds we live in. I still want to write that statement, but I also want to put these words on a page somewhere. Maybe they will germinate and something better will grow up from them.

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  1. Stephen permalink
    January 2, 2010

    Email me when you finish the "grand statement". I miss all you guys at Hope.

    • January 5, 2010

      Will do (if it ever happens)… What are the odds of us seeing you again anytime soon?

      • Stephen permalink
        January 11, 2010

        They're very good, actually.

  2. February 1, 2010

    I'm musing over this. Thoughts that came to mind …

    good fathers like "good" trees have strong branches (strength for their families) and lots of good shade (beneficial for enjoyment, safety spread for their families)

    also I think of the righteous running to the Lord and finding safety…I know this is in line with the name of the Lord and a strong tower, but still it came to mind re: the tree thing.

    From what you wrote, I really loved this: "the way a father or a mother both take up and make space in the world around them, the way they give shape and meaning to the very worlds we live in. "

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