Yesterday I visited a friend who lives on Protection Island, a tiny island across from Nanaimo on Vancouver Island. She gave me a tour of the place and my camera was smoking with so many photo-worthy things to record.
One of the more fascinating things she showed me was a gateway made by a local resident. If she hadn’t told me, I wouldn’t have noticed that unlike the tree on the left, the one on the right is not made of wood, but of metal. I thought it was very clever of the artist to anchor the metal tree so naturally on the rocks where it pretends to send roots into the ground. On closer inspection you might notice that the metal tree has leaves that tell me it might be representing an oak.
Ironically, I think the wooden tree has a metallic name. I believe it might be a copper beech.
P.S. (A few days later…) I’ve just had word from the owner that the tree on the left is in fact a Japanese plum, so the poem doesn’t quite fit, but I’ll leave it as it is. Call it poetic license. 
The oak tree brags, “I guard the gate.”
He shocks the copper beech,
Who leans back, but defends himself,
“A lesson I must teach.”
“I’m tough and strong, of iron made,”
The great oak lets him know.
His metal clinks, he smirks and sneers,
“My strength withstands a blow.”
“But I will grow,” the beech tree smiles,
“And birds in me do trust,
While you will chill their little feet
before you turn to rust.”
Beautiful tree. Sometimes, an artful manmade image surpasses nature in beauty 🙂
Cheers !
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Yes, I thought it was beautifully made.
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Love the poem!
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Thanks,Terry. 😉
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Impressive.
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It was something quite unique.
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Well…I can certainly see why your camera was “smoking” Anneli! What a beautiful photo and poem!
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There were so many artsy things to see on the island!
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A very lovely gate. I like the oval opening, it’s kind of like a window. This is a very inviting gate.
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I agree, Pat. I almost expect a face to appear there, saying, “Come on in.” Or maybe y own head sticking through to the inside, calling, “Anybody home?”
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Wow! Beautiful gate and copper beech tree. Looks like a lovely property. Protection Island is such a peaceful and serene place.
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It was the first time I’d actually set foot on it after all these years of living nearby. So beautiful!!!
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Reblogged this on Anita Dawes & Jaye Marie.
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Thanks so much for the reblog, Anita and Jaye.
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Interesting how beautiful a metal tree can be. The poem is as beautiful as the tree.
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It’s pretty special when someone can make a lifelike creation out of metal.
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Wow, that is super cool. I love it! We have quite a few metal trees in PHoenix, which I find a little odd since it gets so hot and we know what happens to metal in the heat1
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Ouch! I hadn’t thought of that. As you can see from the poem, my first thought was of how cold it would be. If I lived where you do, I’d be thinking differently about that!
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Right! Metal lawn furniture is another difficulty here!
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Oh no! That could be quite painful.
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Interesting! I live just a couple of hours away, in Victoria, but didn’t know about this.
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Well, there you are! An adventure awaits you.
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Perfectly poetic! That is a wise tree. 🌳
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Poetic license is allowed when a special poem is written. 😉 Th e living tree finally got his “digs” in by saying he will grow and shelter birds while the metal tree will only rust. Nice job, Anneli.
I liked the artistic part of the hand wrought metal tree gate. Nice capture!
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Thanks, Robin. It’s a beautiful creative work.
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