That Old Pair of Willows

As long as we have been making our riversidewalk to the West I have loved to meet these two willows. Was it Love at First sight? Probably. Anyhow, Everytime we meet this beautiful pair shows its unity, interconnectedness in the changing of perspective while passing by: two-one-two. At a certain moment while walking slowly both individuals merge into one intertwined big tree. And then they separate into two again. And they do not seem to bother about possible ways of being seen by passers-by.
I asked myself if they had noticed that this lonely riversidewalker had been passing-by for years always with his Dearestlove at his side. That other side of this pair had not always been interested in that pair of willows. Because Her photographic eye would already have objected to hold on and take action. Why? Can’t you see that the dark background of the opposite riversideslope is cutting through your object? That will only result in a horrible picture, She used to tell.
But I had a different affair with this twin. Notably their silent closeness to each other, their tendency to intertwine, merge and separate again. And wether they would be covered with snow, flooded by the overflowing river, or rustle together in a hot summerwind, they were always symbolizing for me a deep desire: One Day my Dearestlove and I, We both will stand together, rooted in the grounds of our faith, like Philemon & Baucis in Ovid’s Metamorfoses. You will know their story.
Because of their humble hospitality saved by the gods and immortalized as a pair of holy trees whispering to each other in front of the temple. Our dream of dying together in eternal love.
But I had to wake up in a different reality. I had still to learn to fully accept the meaning of being called to survive the Loved One. To re-embody an other kind of metamorphosis: that of transcending the loss of your lifelong Better Half into a Paradise regained in which Your own Better Self may enjoy the sacred beauty of an old pair of Willows, closely intertwining, on a snowy wintry afternoon.