A Slice of a Redwood Tree

A slice of a redwood tree

sits proudly on display

in a coastal Mendocino County town

Boasting of progress made

lumber industry-style . . .

Nineteenth Century sensibility on display

in a Twenty First Century town.

***

A slice of a redwood tree

sits proudly on display

in a burgh in coastal Mendocino County

denoting an achievement

spun from a tragedy

of unspeakable dimensions

that was not apparent to those involved

but whose effects will be felt

by those of sufficient sensitivity

long after the dedication celebration

has faded from the memories

of those present on that fateful September day

in 1943.

A slice of redwood tree

affixed with numbers

depicting locations on its outward spiral of growth rings

corresponding with moments of historical significance

from which one can conclude

the tree began as a seedling in AD 190.

The tree was 121 years old the year Christianity became legal;

it was 876 years of age when the Normans conquered England.

The Magna Charta was signed when the tree was 1,025 years old;

it had been growing for 1,302 years when Columbus discovered America

and the tree had graced the watershed with its presence for 1,352 years

when Cabrillo discovered California.

***

A slice of a redwood tree

sits proudly on display

in a coastal Mendocino County town

like a cross-section of a tumor

in the collective brain of mankind

representing the disconnect

between man and nature–

the fundamental misapprehension

of the Judeo-Christian belief system

that permits people to exploit natural “resources”

with seeming impunity, unmindful

of our interconnectedness with all things

and how

what is done here

has an effect on what happens

everywhere else.

***

A slice of redwood tree

21 feet in diameter

described in a bronze commemorative plaque

as “the largest redwood tree known to have grown in Mendocino County;”

A redwood tree

that lived along Big Bear Creek

for 1,753 years

until it was taken down

in 60 man-hours

by men armed with a 22 foot long saw.

In a saner society

such a tree would be celebrated, sure enough,

but not by killing it for profit

not by placing it’s corpse on display

as if it’s murder were some sort of achievement

from which to derive a sense of pride.

***

In a saner society

such a tree would be celebrated by preserving it

for future generations to wonder at, marvel over,

and meditate on how it’s lifespan makes ours seem puny

by comparison.

***

In a saner society,

to even think of harming such a being

would be sacrilege.

Tim Konrad

3 November 2015

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