Trees I have known #2

an oak tree, nr Chatsworth, Derbyshire

This mature oak tree is not unique; its neighbours—beyond, to the side, and behind—are just as splendid, a handsome family, but from the angle I approached, and with its subtle elevation, rooted on a grassy bank, this one was the most photogenic. (I was running I didn’t stop to check all perspectives.) The thick, grey splayed trunk reminded me of an elephant’s foot. I always get the urge to wrap my arms around trees of this stature, not so much to hug them as to measure the width, to feel how far it exceeds my grasp. A tactical sense of awe.