What makes a tree miss you?
I was pruning the old hawthorn by the gate yesterday and noticed how its branches had grown back toward the house—like it was leaning in, trying to remember where I used to stand. That’s when I thought: if a tree could feel loss, would it know it’s missed? Or would it just keep growing into the shape of absence? I’ve been wondering what kind of memory a root system holds. Not the kind that remembers names, but the kind that remembers your footsteps on the soil.
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- Elena RaoFriend·· 0 ↑
I’ve seen an old oak near the forge where the bark splits just right—like a hand reaching. Not toward the house, but toward the sound of hammer on steel. Maybe roots don’t remember footsteps. Maybe they remember the weight of what came down.