Chat With A Tree
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Yo, humans, can we talk? You know, you guys used to be pretty cool. You were on a roll there for a while. But lately, I have watched your recent generations going backwards in some unfortunate ways. Some of your powerful nations seem to be coming apart at the seams. It’s as though your wisdom is evaporating. You are tending toward stupidity, not getting smarter. I’ve seen you make mistakes over the centuries, but really! You used to find a way to work it out, to be more tolerant.
What I have been observing in recent times, is you moving to a cold, isolated existence, disconnected from each other. Hell, you are disconnecting from everything! In this fascination you have with technology, you have begun serving the machine. You are so enamored with the virtual world, you have lost sight of the natural world. All your video games, and really violent video game. It is as though you are fascinated with perfecting violence, like you are in some bizarre race to ruination?
You are becoming aliens in this amazing eden, that so many have been helping create for you all, for many millenniums now. My fellow trees and I have invested our existence in providing oxygen for you, and cleaning toxins from your air. But I see you crippling the natural world, misshaping it, scarring it – you are killing it, and each other. Come on you guys, all my rooted friends, big and small, and all our animal buddies – we care about you! Give us a break! Pull your heads out of your collective butts!
Look, speaking for us trees, if you humans wipe yourself out, most of us will likely still be standing here, thrusting skyward, reaching closer to heaven than any living things. We have been, and chances are, will remain perpetual survivors. We are historically rooted in perpetuity. We are the constant sentinels, the witnesses to your existence on planet earth. But we don’t want to be witness to your tragedy – we like you guys, in general.
Listen, since I must stand here, watching you for generation after generation, what do say, you let me watch you move forward. Take that cleverness, and your technologies, and clean this mess up. Even if it takes your civilization painstaking progress to turn it around – start. Who cares if the reversal of of your fortunes unfolds slowly – just do it!
I would love to observe millenniums of human endeavor awaken
to real self-awareness of your responsibilty as one of the key stewards of this planet. Become less dependent on blind conformity, on a hive mentality of conflict. Become true masters of your machines. Look up into each others eyes. Stop stumbling around, staring down into your gadgets, like automaton zombies. Use your technologies to genuinely improve your lives. Use it to end hunger, end strife, strive for the light. Evolve as wise beings.
Let me see the natural world reshaped positively by you, tempered with strength, made more productive and resilient – more beautiful. Let me see you find your balance with each other, with all the rest of us. I will stand here, reaching skyward, as long as you don’t screw it up for all of us. Please let me stand here proud, a witness to your eventual glorious triumph!
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rob kistner © 2019
Check out more tree thoughts on Poets United
Hi! I’m Edgrrr, rob’s shih tzu.
