What has Water Washed Away

B ald Cypress trees require a very specific balance
of wet and dry in order to succeed. Mature trees drop
dense cones which float and disintegrate in the water.
The seeds then need to find dry ground or hope the
water level drops in order to sprout. Once the seed
catches, the young tree can tolerate inundation, but not
if the water reaches its leaves. Once the trees are tall
enough, they can withstand inundation for their entire
lives. It’s entirely possible for a bald cypress tree to live
for more than three thousand years.
T hese stories started at a writing retreat in Lake
Chicot State Park, Louisiana, where the cypress trees
are bulbous at their bases and very very skinny at their
tops. The stories form the fifth layer of a paper boat.
They join the stories of others from across the water
to steadily build the strength of the canoe’s hull. With
enough writing, the boat will be a fully functioning
community vessel.
Chris Staudinger
2