one lone tree

One Lone Tree by Laura Tovar Dietrick

In Washington Park, down the street a few blocks, people without a home enjoy the comfort and safety of a place to sleep for the night. When I take my morning walk, I see them awakening, and getting ready to face another day. The park is filled with trees. Three trees look to be over a hundred years old. The street nearby is the taxi stand for the hotels across the street at Crown Center. The drivers speak a variety of languages. They enjoy the shade too. On the edge of the park is a statue of George Washington on his horse at Valley Forge. He looks very overdressed and hot for this time of year. In the winter when the snow falls, the statue amidst the trees reminds me of Valley Forge which is near where I grew up.

This morning, a taxi driver arrived with cups of coffee and donuts. Last in line at the line of taxis he beckoned for a man sitting on a bench to join him. They greeted one another as friends and this looked like a quiet bit of routine for both of them; sitting beneath a big tree in the park as one man straightened up his bench from his night’s sleep, his friend holding two cups of coffee, a bag of donuts, and the newspaper under his arm.