An Unexamined Leaf
Ever looked at a leaf
Really looked at it?
Its blood veins of green
Crisscrossing seams
Of chlorophyll that pulsates
Ever so quietly. Imperceptibly.
Giving food
Giving life.
We forget, don’t we?
The steadfast tree
Standing still beside
Silent streams
A monument of meaning
A Testimony
That enlightenment comes
Only to those who examine.
Wasn’t it the great Socrates
Who insisted and implored?
Admonishing us to pay attention
Examine. Explore.
Leaving no stones unturned
So that our lives won’t quickly burn
And in examining make sure
Our lives are
Worth living.
Yet how many of us stop
For even a moment?
To caress a leaf
Admire a tree
See its bark and beauty up close
Wonder Who created its intricacy
Instead we rush off
To the next shiny trinket
Our lives a swamp
Increasingly confusing
Convoluted.
I’ve lived now for over
Two scores and ten
And I’m telling you we need
To more closely exam
Our lives in small measures
A leaf at a time
A foliage of greenery
Rooted in one single tree
Sublime.
For then we will surely see
That
“In the beginning was
The Word”
Fully examined and unfurled
Giving us the reason
For our very
Existence.
So let’s daily examine
Pause in thoughtful contemplating
That we may emerge wiser, humbler
Becoming stoic like a tree
And its life-giving bouquet
Of divinely, awe-inspiring
Leaves.
For
An unexamined
Leaf
Is
An unexamined
Life.
(All of the above is my simple belief)
Very stimulating. I now know one thing I will do after work today – marvel at the design of our maple leaves and thank the Designer. Remarkable. Thank you.