Vermilion Cliffs National Monument In Northern Arizona — Image by kenne
Take a leaf off a tree. Is it still a tree?
Take a single twig off a tree. Is it still a tree?
Remove an entire branch from a tree. Is it still a tree?
Take off half of the branches. Is it still a tree?
Cut down the whole tree, leaving only the stump. Is it still a tree?
Many people would say no, it is no longer a tree,
though the roots may still be in the ground.
Well, where did the tree go?
Removing a leaf, it remains a tree,
but not by removing all of the branches and the trunk?
In the real world, there aren’t any things as we commonly think of them.
A ‘thing’ as we refer to it is only a noun. A noun is merely an idea, a mental construct.
These ‘things’ exist only in our minds. There is no tree, there is only the idea of a tree.
—Anonymous
Well then, I love the idea of a Bristlecone Pine.
Wonderful photograph of an old, old spirit. Great poem.