Trees

"I was walking in the park, admiring the old trees. Some of them were crooked. Some of them had scars, and lots and lots of wrinkles." 
"Why do we think that trees are so beautiful showing their age and what they went through & not the same with people? I just wondered." Yoko Ono Tweets 2009.

Like all the most interesting faces, trees are beautiful because they have a lived in, asymmetrical, natural appeal that any fake plastic tree can't satisfy. I am lucky enough to peruse this lovely example from my kitchen window on a daily basis.

© J Reed

Radiohead wrote a very beautiful anti surgery/natural beauty song called 'Fake Plastic Trees'. Three years previous, the anti establishment Rage Against The Machine released 'Killing in the Name' protesting, in a forceful and profane way, 'I Won't Do What You Tell Me'. With the power of instantaneous people power programs an independent social uprising overcame the marketing phenomena that is Simon Cowell, whose company is called SyCo, to beat X Factor Joe McElderry's rehash of Miley Cyrus's 'The Climb' to the Christmas No.1. The band has donated their profits to homeless charity Shelter. Usually I wouldn't care about the chart topper at Christmas but, like trees, I don't like my music squeaky clean, uniform and just a little bit fake.