In December, the deciduous leaves have mostly fallen.

Winds have helped to release the “hangers-on.”

Now it is as though you have new eyes to see more of what is. What you can see now is what has always been there.

Old age in people is somewhat the same.

The summer of full glory has passed.

The abundant hair, the firmness of skin, the clarity of bone structure and muscles has relaxed.

People are not drawn to the physical beauty of an aging person,

But can now see what was underneath that youthful exterior.

The character of the person is revealed as the visual distraction decreases.

In bare winter trees one sees the symmetry or lack of it,

The places of wounding, scars from a lifetime, and

The ever-changing backdrop of the sky, clouds, sunsets and sunrises.

Even the misshapen leafless tree can be beautiful in a way different from perfection.

Make friends with the ever-present moving sky… your “backdrop.”

Linda Eiserloh, Tryon