My interest in the Staghorn Sumac began
as summer was slowly turning into autumn.
Amid the green leaves, small touches of red began to appear,
and in that quiet shift, I felt something distinctly Eastern.
Perhaps it was because it was the season of Chuseok,
(Chuseok : Korea Luna Thanks Giving)
As the leaves changed color piece by piece,
they reminded me of the traditional blue-red contrast
often seen in Korean art and crafts.
Even though it was a tree I had never seen before
growing in a land far from home,
the emotion it carried as autumn deepened
felt strangely familiar and quietly warm.
