Mighty Saguaro Bones

Mighty Saguaro bones.  I didn’t realize, until I was culling through my photo library, that I appear to have a fascination with decaying saguaros.  It seems my camera gravitates toward them, capturing their unique personalities, even in death.

There is a beauty in their decline. An elegance in their passing. And life beyond the hundreds of years that they stood tall.

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As my good friend (and plant fanatic) noted, “Saguaros even provide habitat in their death for countless insects and mammals. They’re kind of alive, even when they’re dying.”

Yes, so true. So, while I want to pay homage to the great saguaro in its living form, I also want to honor it in all of its magnificent stages.

I will be posting a multi-part Saguaro Series (check out part I — Desert Diversity, Saguaro Style)  about this species of cactus in its different stages of life and death – including various photos I’ve snapped over the past year – hoping to document the beauty and wonder of these alluring “trees” of the desert. I also hope to share the inspiration they are providing for my WIP (work in progress).

I have to admit that I suspect Mother Nature has been toying with me a bit lately … sending some subliminal messaging, perhaps, since my novel-in-progress deals with themes of life and death. Maybe that’s why I’m confronted with so many living, dying, decaying, beating-the-odds saguaro cacti during my hikes. Or could it just be that my senses are acutely tuned in to my theme? Then again, maybe the saguaro is simply my muse?

Do you agree that there can be beauty in death?

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Do you enjoy books and movies that tackle tough topics like life and death, or are they just too “dark” for you? If you find yourself drawn to these stories, why? And when you’re reading, writing, or watching do you begin to see thematic significance in the things around you that you might not otherwise have noticed?

Original version published at WHAT I SAW. Reposted, in full, with permission of the author.

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