Carping the Diem

. . . on the pawpaw path

pawpaw leaves, old and new

Carpe diem! I learned that phrase in freshman English class. “Gather ye rosebuds while ye may.” Time is fleeting. Fret not about the future. Savor the present!

I did on Friday, exiting my back door and walking to the Alapocas Run State Park.

Alapocas Run

Arriving there, I climbed the trail that leads to what I call “the pawpaw path.” Pawpaws are a tropical fruit related to the custard apple and the soursop which I had known while living in Miami, Florida. Pawpaw trees grow in patches because they send out runners underground that emerge here and there as clone trees, genetically identical to the host. Pawpaws grow well in the shade, making them a robust understory tree. Their leaves and bark are toxic, so deer, which love to dine on tender saplings, avoid them. In late August one may find ripe pawpaws on the ground. Those are safe to eat. Cut one open and you’ll find a custard-like substance that tastes a bit like mango and banana. The native people who foraged in the Alapocas woodland before the arrival of white Europeans used the strong inner bark of the pawpaw for making rope and weaving baskets. The pawpaw is a humble but hardy tree, rarely growing over thirty feet tall. Next time you walk in the woods, look for them. Their large, smooth-edged leaves are easy to identify.

Follow the yellow blaze to the pawpaw path.

New pawpaw leaves are shiny.

Usually low and spindly, with adequate light the pawpaw grows stouter.

the humble pawpaw and much taller neighbors

Wending my way homeward by the pawpaw path I came upon a zipper-sealed clear plastic envelope ccontaining a photograph and a message. See below:

a dearly beloved, remembered

profession of love, left in the woods

honeysuckle, another prominent plant along the pawpaw path

How are you carping the diem in these trying times?

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— TCDavis

Retired pastor, combat veteran, photographer