Red Oaks

By Kieran

Red Oaks in Fall


Loose artwork of *Oaks in Fall* by Kieran Gonsalves (c) 2025, recalling the poignant O Henry short story, ‘The Last Leaf’


I love the quirks of nature. 'Tis said that for every rule there is an exception 

Take the Red Oak for instance, it bucks the trend or seems to give the perception


Evolution dictates that all deciduous trees have to shed their leaves during Fall

Not so the Red Oak … it defiantly hangs on to a few dead leaves. No total recall


Scientists are baffled by this curious phenomenon, with a fancy name, marcescence

So far, no one seems to know for sure what Red Oaks are saying by their presence


Which reminds me of the classic short story by O Henry called, ‘The Last Leaf’

It's a story of sisterly love with a savage twist, a happy tale ending in grief


Two artistic friends Sue and Johnsy look out of their studio at a gnarled ivy vine.

Johnsy’s steadily losing her fight with Pneumonia when Sue throws her a lifeline


On the wall outside, Winter snuffs out one leaf at a time, but the last won’t budge

This spurs Johnsy to fight on each day just as the last leaf death doth begrudge


Before long, Johnsy bounces back; Sue 'fesses it was painted by grumpy ole Bergman

Johnsy happily made it through winter tho' alas Pneumonia laid waste the ole workman.


Footnote: Read the original story by O Henry at https://americanenglish.state.gov/files/ae/resource_files/the-last-leaf.pdf

Comments

Anonymous said…
You have a wide array of interests. Impressive. (WhatsApp comment from a dear friend)
September 3, 2025 at 1:51 PM
Kieran said…
There's so much interesting stuff going on ... it's a fun time to be alive - Kieran
September 3, 2025 at 1:52 PM
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