The Sparrow/An Allegory
One of my first creative writing assignments in college was to write a portrait of myself. I wrote about a massive elm tree. I remember spending quite some time describing the tree's wide girth and the thickness of its furrowed bark. At that time I myself was a wisp of thing, still buying my clothes in the children's department and usually fading into the proverbial wall during social events. Then, as now, it would seem strange to describe myself as a mighty elm. That’s because I wasn't describing myself. I was simply setting the stage. Though I had spent much time finding the flowery words that would capture the magnificence of the elm and its lush surroundings, in the last sentence of my literary portrait I directed the reader's eye upward where a single sparrow perched on a bare branch. That sparrow , I wrote, is me . My girth is wider now and I no longer purchase my clothes in the children's department (save for the oversized fleece-lined flannel shirt ...
