OPINION: IN PRAISE OF A CHAIN-LINK FENCE [View all]

https://southseattleemerald.com/2022/06/12/opinion-in-praise-of-a-chain-link-fence/

VOICES
OPINION: IN PRAISE OF A CHAIN-LINK FENCE
JUNE 12, 2022 EDITOR
by Cynthia Welte

Rosie, a raccoon, walked nonchalantly by us as we ate lunch in the backyard early in the pandemic. She waddled under the weeping larch, up one side of the chain-link fence, and right down the other, headfirst down the six-foot metal grid.

…

And the plants love the chain-link fence. They have something to climb, which is vexing with morning glory, but helpful with my star jasmine that can’t seem to grab anything on its own. Clematis climbs it with ease. Shrubs and perennials extend through the fence, softening straight lines.

Where a wood fence would cast shade, strawberries grow in the sun. With a small garden like ours, we can’t afford to block out sunlight.

This is not just a fence of utility, or of prisons or schools or basketball courts. It’s a fence built out of light and sound, perfect for a permeable life.

It has taken me years, but I’m enjoying our chain-link fence now. It lets me commune with the plants and birds and animals and weather and neighbors in the alley. To witness spiderwebs and gently perched hummingbirds. To make friends, or at least share space.