Death and the Purple Plum

Posted on November 14, 2002 in Neighborhood

The banshee howl of a wood chipper, accepting the sap sacrifice of the purple plum tree which stands in front of the deck, woke me. They haven’t torn the heartwood from it: just given it a severe Marine Corps trim. It’s been proposed that the tree, which arches dangerously over the sidewalk at the corner, undergo capital punishment. The condo association has granted it yet another reprieve, however, and I will be seeing the smears of its crushed sour fruit on the sidewalk again next summer.