Rust in peace

London's metal tree returns to its maker
London, ON
August 2013
Thematic. Made of Steel. Here.

London's metal trees have been stoking controversy since they first started springing up in and around the downtown core a few years back. Every once in a while, the local paper will publish a letter to the editor - I know, so quaint - from a reader who bemoans the fact that we've spent money on metal trees and not the natural kind. Some folks just can't let it go, I guess.

I was heading home from a meeting one dull summer's afternoon when this pink one insinuated itself into my head (here's a red one for comparison.) The rust was somewhat jarring: didn't they rust-proof these things when they were first installed? Did the sculptor know? Did he provide a warranty?

Probably not. And as I took in the odd spectacle of a rust-flecked pink tree, I thought about the steel from which it was made, and how a sad mixture of pink and rust was as far from the steely-grey stereotype as we could possibly get. Maybe that was the sculptor's intention all along.

Your turn: It's been a while since we played the three-words game. Time to rectify that. What are the first three words that come to mind when you see this scene?