Where Roots Hold

About this piece

A solitary mangrove rises from luminous shallows, its exposed roots forming a dense lattice beneath the leafy crown. Yellow-green water deepens to turquoise toward the low horizon, while bare branches trace fine lines against the expansive blue sky.

The story

I framed the mangrove against the open water, drawn first to the tangle beneath its trunk. Roots and fallen wood gathered into a small, irregular island, while ripples broke the sunlight into shifting bands of green and blue. Above them, leaves crowded some branches and left others bare. I wanted to hold both parts of that view together: the intricate work of staying rooted and the broad, uncluttered space surrounding it.