Friday, March 29, 2024
Miles from the Mainstream
D. R. ZUKERMAN, proprietor

Does the President have the Resilience of a Particular Lilac Tree?

August 22, 2020 --

There is a slender lilac tree, about eight or nine feet tall, that tilts a bit,  near one of the two garage entrances next to my apartment building.  This tree seemed to have had a rough winter. More recently, it has withstood heavy rains and winds that have toppled large trees, and broken off solid branches, not far away.  Through it all, this lilac tree has managed to survive.

In the spring it took its time to bring out its leaves, and the spring lilac buds did not appear.  I thought that marked the beginning of the end of this valiant tree. 

But in late July, lilac flowers appeared randomly among the leaves.  But not in full flower and I continued to think that this stalwart tree was not in good shape.  Yet by mid-August, this tree bloomed with lilac flowers, even more than in past years.

I drew a possible lesson for  President Trump from this flowering welcome sight next to my apartment building. The current polls claim (as they did in 2016) that the president is trailing his Democratic opponent, that he is not in good shape. Perhaps, however, he will flower in the polls, as our lilac tree in the Bronx has revitalized to bloom in even greater glory than in previous years.