cells

as beautiful as the symmetry and the progressive branching of this buckthorn sapling are, i can’t help but see the plant as the invader that it is in our part of the world. we have them all over the upper midwest, metastasizing throughout the undergrowth of almost every urban, suburban, and exurban woodland. and so instead of joyful arms thrown skyward, i see in the upper branches of this tree the little legs of cancer cells pulling themselves toxically into healthy tissue. happy tuesday.

winter buckthorn (Rhamnus)