Lear (July)

Edward Lear went south in search of warmth, but wound up unexpectedly in Sassafras, in July, the bleak midwinter. Great fanning ferntrees hold together amidst fog finally lifting above gullies. Perhaps he lost his way on purpose. It’s a long way from his classical landscapes. Or maybe not. Foreground figures tramp muddy tracks as if stumbling upon Arcady. He composed upon the occasion: “There is a man of Sassafras / Whose every second word’s ‘Alas!’ / One more fit / And he will quit / That fitful man of Sassafras.” It takes up the entire picture wall of Humpty House.