Life. It [Continues]

You can be looking at this leaf and you can be looking at this tree, right?
And you can be thinking to yourself that it is a very lovely tree and only the loveliest leaves can come from such a beautiful tree. Because yeah. That's the way things work. Lovely trees yield lovely leaves.

(Actually, I just said that three times in my head and I think my tongue is tied..only it's not really my tongue. It's my brain tongue. See. We all have brain tongues. I think. (Sometimes, a lot of times, I think my brain tongue wants to be my real tongue, but my real tongue is a whole lot stronger than my brain tongue.)
In truth, my brain tongue is pretty well defined. I think. Every once in awhile, I just have to let this be known though, so I'll do it now. (Ready. This is my brain tongue speaking) My brain tongue pops and bulges a vein out and those little lines expose themselves to the world and it is known..it is known..that there exists a fragment, not a figment, of truth that will one day ripple down and create a channel of streams for all the world to see. But not now.)

So this tree. Back to it. It knows its got the goods. It's big. It's bold. It's intimidating. The leaves. They are friggin beauty dogs. Top quality. Grade A winners. You get it? They are awesome.
So anyway, about this tree. It's intelligent. It is aware of its beauty. It is a proud tree and it is very proud of its leaves but this tree, it does not much let the leaves dangle too loosely. It does not want the rest of the world to know them. Most of the time, the leaves are taught and rigid and clamped up tight to the branches. Because it is a lovely tree with lovely leaves. It just doesn't much display them. For whatever reason. It keeps the leaves tight. Maybe to preserve them. Their essence. Who knows.

One day..and you must have known that was coming because every story starts with one day...I'll try not to make this sappy. I'll get right to the root. I won't bark up any other tangents.
The leaves stretched.
If I saw this like I think I saw it, one morning the leaves decided to lift up their fibers and earthy substances to meet the sun. They started with just an inch.
But it only took a small inch away from the branches for the lovely tree to notice. And here's the good part. The lovely tree didn't mind. Actually, he probably never would have minded if they decided to stretch before. For whatever reason, he just never felt the itch or the scratch coming from their inner leafiness and felt no need to let them go. Remember. Proud tree. It's best not to encourage anything that would make less lovely.
The leaves stretched.
Slowly to the ground, they began to extend farther and farther away from the branches. The tree did not mind. With every sunrise, they matched the slow movement of ascension. Quite lovely actually. Like a montage of seasons changing. Frame by frame. Inch by inch. Working the way down to the ground. Extending away.

And here's the even better, best part. The tree..the lovely tree..it didn't find itself any less lovely. Sure. It was different. It was a little saggy. Maybe a little odd. But it stood proud and let go those lovely leaves and let them work their way out and into the rest of the world. It could always stop the leaves. If it wanted, it could draw them back up and bring back the lovely leaves so that they would once again be kept for only the tree itself. But it didn't want that. It would rather they be out and down and around and available for everybody.

The story ends just like that. The tree still lets the lovely leaves be free. Somedays it's cool. Somedays it would be better to have the leaves close like before. But it always knows that change is part of a tree's natural life. So why not?

For the time being, the park looks better anyway.