A Tree or, History
“Trees are just an entrée into your philosophy of self”–Casey Dyson
If a tree
falls
in a forest
and
no one is there to hear it,
does it make a sound?
If a tree falls in a forest
and
no one is a witness,
does it fall?
If a tree falls with no witness,
did it not grow sideways, then die?
A tree lies sideways,
has no leaves
grows moss
and
lichen
is it alive?
A tree falls in a forest
and
no iPhone photographs it
does it make a sound?
A tree falls in a forest
and
there are no Facebook posts
did it really fall?
did it live at all?
A tree is felled in a forest
when a lumberjack chops
through the tree’s round calendar
does time make a sound?
A tree falls in a forest
its cross-
section
recalls its age, history’s wrinkles,
but
phones are on airplane mode
Does anyone hear the rings?
Trees felled in a forest
by a falling airplane
one hundred percent casualty rate
can you hear the Hail Marys?
are they for the fallen?
