Bent But Not Broken

 Hurricane Ian roared through southwest Florida a couple of weeks ago. Tall slash pines shaded a nature trail that runs along a tributary of the Myakka River. The storm broke off or completely uprooted many of the trees. This one, like the last of the Ents in the Lord of the Rings, bends at the waist, woody arms sweeping over the debris. Will this tree survive? I don’t know. In some ways, it has seen too much that is terrifying and sad, just like the Ents, who waited and waited for the Ent wives to return.