Ode to Strength: The Tree of Life


Ode to Strength: Bahrain's Tree of Life in the desert, by Bonfelle

Part of the Byzantine Saga·See the full series

Part of Odes to Peace·See the full series

In the middle of Bahrain’s desert, with nothing around it but heat and sand, stands a single tree. It has survived for centuries with no visible source of water. People call it the Tree of Life, and it’s hard to argue with them.

In these pieces, I set its tangled, ancient shape against scorched ground and open sky, in monochrome and muted washes that slowly give way to a radiant dawn. It doesn’t fight the heat so much as outlast it, drawing on water hidden somewhere deep beneath the sand.

It reminds me that strength isn’t always loud. Sometimes it just means drawing on reserves no one else can see, and staying exactly where you are.

أنشودة القوة

في قلب صحراء البحرين، ولا شيء حولها سوى الحرّ والرمال، تقف شجرة وحيدة صمدت لقرون بلا مصدر ماء ظاهر. في هذه الأعمال وضعت أغصانها العتيقة المتشابكة بين أرض محروقة وسماء مفتوحة، بألوان أحادية وخافتة تنفتح شيئاً فشيئاً على فجر مشرق. إنها تذكّرني بأن القوة ليست صاخبة دائماً؛ أحياناً تعني أن تستمد من مخزون لا يراه أحد، وأن تبقى ثابتاً حيث أنت.

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