A macro photograph of the lines and thorns of a budding blue agave cactus.

In the center of the agave is a tall spine which is made up of a bunch of newer leaves bundled together. As they mature they begin to fall away from each other, spanning out like wings, until eventually they find the ground to decay. The coolest part of this process is that during the time the leaves are bound together they imprint their spines and designs on to each other which never goes away. How symbolic of life. When we grow up we are imprinted with the people we grow with and that imprint never really goes away. It may fade, but if we look carefully we can see these imprints on others whether good or bad… Hopefully good.

© Christopher Johnson