Leaf imprints on a sidewalk - original photo
In Schwenksville, PA, my home town, we don't have many sidewalks. Then again, I didn't do much walking back in the small town of Schwenksville. Suffice it to say, that changed when I came to PennState. Walking everywhere was pretty much mandatory (though I did ride the bus once and that was exciting), and I've noticed how well the campus is kept. The grass is always clear of leaves and fallen branches, the sidewalks are blown clean, and the flowers and shrubs are mulched weekly.
It wasn't until one misty morning when walking to class I noticed these leaves on the ground - leaves that weren't there. The pigments of the leaves bled onto the concrete to create imprints of themselves after they've been wet and stepped on by hundreds of pedestrians. After several days of observation, I found that these imprints lasted several days despite multiple days of rain.
These "ghosts" are becoming more and more common as more leaves touch the ground, and they reminded me of similar imprints that are unfortunately not as pleasant to view...
The Ghosts of Hiroshima.
August 6, 1945, the US dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima. The impact of the bomb was so instant and so catastrophic, the people in the city were gone in a flash. Nothing remained except their shadows. If you go to Hiroshima, they're still there, frozen in time. I don't think I would ever have the heart to see them in person, but the thought of stepping over an image that used to be a person sends chills down my spine, and the same was true of these leaves.
I think it's because we have never seen devastation and horror within our boarders that causes Americans to romanticize war and remain distant on the topic. We are lucky, yet we are ignorant. Being such a military-focused country, I doubt we will ever see war within our boarders unless there was an all-out world war, and the only way we can make ourselves aware of the consequences is to empathize with history. The next time you hear a heated debate on countries at large, World War III, or nuking someone because we can, remember the leaves.
Be glad you're not one.
A man with a walking stick - original post
Beautifully expressed reflection, Annabelle. I appreciate how this blog makes me think.
ReplyDeleteI have been seeing these shadows on my walks to and from class, as well, but I have never connected them to those of Hiroshima. I love how you made something so common and natural connect to such a strong historical devastation, even if the "ghosts" of history are not nearly as cheerful as autumn leaves on Penn State's campus.
ReplyDeleteWow... what a thought. I did not know that there were shadows left from Hiroshima, and what an interesting comparison. I think fall leaves and the memory of a loved one are equally beautiful depending on the way you think about them, but I agree that we are lucky, yet ignorant. We've never seen a war inside our borders, but we've waged war around the world. Thinking about these leaves really brings home the consequences and loss a war can bring about. I love this.
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