Thursday, March 3, 2011

The Path


The path opened up around the statue, allowing folks to step back and observe without impeding the traffic of those too busy to stop and appreciate the art.  The Father of our Country stood upon a oversized pedestal.  The large, chunky pedestal dwarfed the statue and the juxtaposition reminded the viewer that before he became a Father, he was a merely a man.  Had the subject been a figure from the early 19th century one might believe the Charlestonian artist wished to minimize the figure’s importance, but even Charleston respected Washington, the man, if not the city.  More likely the artist wished to remind visitors that they could also aspire to achievement though they were but men.  The path continued past the statue through the low branches that hung like a curtain obscuring all but a low, tantalizing glimpse of the rest of the park.  A bench sat to the side of the path, offering a more complete view to those who lowered their eyes to sitting level.  The summer sun glinted on another bench, farther along the path past the curtain of trees.  The light played on the wood of the further bench enticingly, gently coaxing walkers to continue beyond the curtain of trees to discover more.

Copyright © 2010 Denise Duggan

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