Bridge Down by the Creek

 

By Isaac Newberry

 

 

       The branches on the banks of the creek by the man made bridge reminded me of skeletons clawing at the sky waiting to be resurrected when spring came. The presence of red berries on some of the trees indicated that these plants were not actually dead but were simply hibernating. The next things I noticed were two trees along the bank of the creek which belonged to the birch family. There paper-like bark reminded me of my joy of writing while also reminding me of the fragility of life in general. Next my attention turned to the creek and how it interacted with the man-made bridge. The flow of the creek was stunted on one side by a massive log, several tree branches, and leaves. And then, my attention drifted to the bridge itself. Made of concrete and spanning the creeks width it reminded me of the industrial revolution when humans crossed a bridge that we may not be able to go back across. Without technology we wouldn’t be able to support the numbers of human beings on this planet that we can but with it we degrade and even alter the natural world. As I was turning around to leave I noticed something peculiar, several slabs of ice along the bank stacked on top of one another. The slabs were up on the bank too far to have been created in the creek and yet where else would they have been created? The ice was relatively clear and reminded me of a mirror that needed cleaning. I wondered to myself if someone or something had really put the slabs up on the bank of the creek and realized that the upcoming warming weather would melt the ice. This realization led to another; something isn’t beautiful because it lasts but because of how fleeting it is. The last thing that I say was an oak tree that had had its bark split wide open. It made me sad to think about how the tree wouldn’t survive. Ultimately, I left the creek having had an interesting experience and a wonderful epiphany.