To Become a Tree

A mere man once stood before a crowd and described an unimaginable tree – a tree he had once seen. The tree was so healthy and large that its branches reached far and wide. It bore fruit that was scattered throughout the world.

                                            ...

The tree was wedged between skyscrapers and places of learning, but, oh, how that tree grew and grew. Its leaves were lush and green and its roots went deep. The tree could be seen from afar as if the buildings could not conceal it.

Colorful buds began to emerge. Those buds slowly bloomed into beautiful flowers. The petals gave way to vibrant, supple fruits. These fruits ripened in the sun. The branches drooped low because of the weight.

One day, the fruits fell from the tree and rolled to places unknown. The shadow of the tree could not reach them. The tree would soon produce a new harvest.

One fruit rolled to a dry and arid land. As this fruit lay on the ground, it began to decay. Its luscious skin slowly aged and its innards became soft. The fruit was rotting away, but a seed was waiting patiently inside. The decomposed fruit fell away and left the seed surrounded a grotesque heap of compost.

The seed waited within the mush to die. The cold came and frightened the lonely seed. In despair, it slept, but the spring brought rain and sunshine. The warmth hugged the little seed, awakening it from a deep sleep. Something began to grow inside the seed. Then one day, a seedling broke forth.

Surrounded by darkness, the weak seedling climbed through the dirt. It pushed its way to the surface and saw the light. Through summer and fall the seedling grew. It became a sapling that no longer bent to and from. It would stand strong.

The sapling fought through winter and into spring. As time passed and the seasons changed, the sapling grew into a tree. The tree grew up and the tree grew out. It spread its branches and revealed its leaves. The tree’s roots reached down through the soil and into the hidden river below. It fought until it could weather any storm and as the years rolled on, the tree blossomed and produced fruit all its own.