The Tale of a Lima Bean and a City

The changes a lima bean goes through are surprisingly very similar to what a city goes through. There is potential, growth, flourishing, decline and eventually decay. Each step is a struggle for both a city and plant. My photo essay is an illustration of those struggles.

Potential Beginning: A new lima bean in an empty field. The bean has yet to sprout but is full of potential to grow into a plant just as the field can be cultivated and transformed to produce sustenance for a family.

Budding: In this photo the bean has begun to sprout. The small bud on the side of the bean is an indication of plant the bean could grow into. The barn in the background represents the beginning of growth for a family and the possibility of a town.

Growth: This photo features the lima bean, continuing to sprout and grow on a dirt road. The road represents the start of the growth of Stillwater. Roads allow traffic, bringing life to a town or city.

Community: When a bean or seed is planted, many times they grow as a family or community. Just as plants, homes and businesses group together in districts throughout the city. The apartment complex behind the beans shows one of many communities of families in Stillwater.

Flourishing: In this photo the bean has successfully sprouted and its leaves are flourishing. Behind it is Highway 177, which turns into Main Street in Stillwater. Without highways and paved roads this city would have a hard time flourishing the way it has.

Success: The lima bean has fully sprouted into a healthy, thriving plant. Its green leaves stretch toward the sun and the long stems wave as the wind sweeps past it. OSU, with its library behind the plant, is the pinnacle of the success Stillwater has seen, and probably the reason for the prosperity the city has met.

Road Closed: After successfully prospering as a plant and a city, some paths shut down and part of the plant and city begin to see a change in their growth. The road closed behind the bean shows the beginning of the changes in Stillwater. The road has been shut down for several months with no progress made on it.

Decline: The plant loses the green color showing its life and begins to brown and break. The neighborhood behind the plant, called Thomasville, was once a fine neighborhood just outside of city limits. The neighborhood and all the houses in it are now falling apart, paint flaking, roofs caving in, yards in disarray and only a few families still living in the area.

Decay: The plant continues to decay, losing everything but a stringy stem of the life it once had. It sits on a wrecked car, glass and debris from the interior of the car surrounding the grimy bean. Along with this car are several others in the area, all in the same broken-down condition, as well as several abandoned trailer homes, furniture pieces and kitchen appliances.

End: Eventually nature takes its way and pieces of the city and plant are engulfed into its surroundings. The plant will completely blend with the dirt and the dwindling house behind it will be taken back by the trees surrounding and already growing into it. Thus is the life and death of a plant and a city.