The Tree's Feelings

I once heard someone say, "I think that I shall never see a poem lovely as a tree."

I'll always associate that line with the movie Superman II, much in the same way that I associate "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" with Guns n' Fuckin' Roses.

I don't know that I've ever seen a poem lovely as a tree.  I don't have those kind of numbers.  I couldn't create a pie chart or a bar graph to compare loveliness of poems to trees.  I hope somewhere, someone has done such research.  I'd like to see it.

But it all makes me wonder, if a tree feels lovely.  We're assuming here that loveliness, or beauty, is to be seen and not felt, based on that famous poem by Joyce Kilmer Of The Planet Earth poem.  But how does the tree feel?  Does the tree feel lovely?  Does it feel special?  Is it sad when it's leaves turn colour and descend to the ground in the Autumn, much like I get sad when I realize I don't have as much hair on top of my head anymore?

I am alive and I have feelings.
Trees are alive.
Therefore, they must have feelings too.  Right?

Now, I'm not some hippie vegan activist or anything.  I'm hardly concerned with whether or not the tree's feelings get hurt.  When a stupid dog lifts it's leg to piss on the tree, I'm not upset if the tree thinks to itself, fuck that stupid sonofabitch.

I'm far more curious about what the tree thinks when that happens.  Maybe the tree is passive aggressive and decides that, sure that stupid dog may have gotten me again but I'll show him when I outlive him by a couple hundred years.

a ryan original.

Maybe the tree has self esteem issues.  Have we stopped to consider that the tree has such low self esteem that it wants the dog to piss on it simply to feel some kind of usefulness and affection?  The tree wants to uproot and move to another park, but just can't seem to get itself to leave that dog and it's abusive behaviour.  There are less trees on the planet these days too, so it's not like an emotionally void abused tree has many friends to turn to for a support system.  So many trees are spaced apart so sparsely that they can't even give each other a warm, loving hug.  Aww, gosh, that poor tree.

Okay, we haven't even mentioned potential eating disorders here.  Some of those trees are so frail looking.  So weak. So thin.  Don't you just want to bring it a juicy hamburger or something?  Like, here you go tree, I know times are tough and everything, but you really need to get some meat on them bones of yours.

But there I go, falling into the trap society has placed us all in.  I'm just assuming that the tree's feelings would sad.  Or upset.  Or melancholic.  That's what we're supposed to think.  That's how we're supposed to think.  Think low about yourself.  Keep yourself down.  Don't aim to achieve in a world that is doomed to fail you anyway.  There's not use in even trying.

Just thinking about that gets me kinda sad.

I bet those trees are pretty happy fellas.  Even the ones that are looking old and withered from Father Time.  They know they don't have much time left and that's just fine with them.  They've seen a lot over the years and they can smile about that.  Sure, they never got to kiss the girl, or take that trip to Disneyland, but they're still pleased as punch to have just been here.

So maybe that's the feeling a tree feels the most - being content.  They stay still.  They're grounded.  They wave to say 'hi' on a beautiful day. And they look at all of us humans and think, at least I'm not one of those fucking idiots driving around trying to appease everyone all of the time.

Thanks for reading!
-ryan