Among Their Own

Under a soft, overcast sky, scarlet Indian paintbrush rose in loose clusters through a meadow of green grass, gathered near enough to lean on one another yet each rooted in its own patch of ground. Tall grass swayed loosely around them, seed heads bowing in every direction, while the paintbrush held its color and shape apart from the drift. Standing among their own kind is its own kind of shelter, a quiet strength drawn simply from not growing alone.