The African Tree

There once stood this beautiful tree in our neighbourhood. It had a long slender trunk and limbs near the top that stretched sideways, as if it were gripping the air on either side with elasticized arms. We called it ‘the African Tree’, because it resembled an acacia and grew in the middle of a fluttering field of grass. I pictured a drowsy lion sprawled under its branches, slapping flies away from its chest with a flick of its tail. I imagined buzzards peering through the leaves with greedy...