you know how branches bend in the breeze
swaying and rocking
flexible and stretching towards the sky
but sometimes
the branch breaks
snapping off and falling
down, down, down
landing on the ground with a thud
a piece of the tree now rotting in the soil
disconnected
removed
no longer a part of the whole
soaking into the ground and burying deep
eventually it is turned into nutrients
feeding the roots of the tree to cause new growth
to make new branches that dance in the wind
to grow leaves and flowers and fruit
but what if the branches never break
what if the tree holds onto those branches
they never snap
they never fall
they never rot
they never feed
they never grow
the tree itself rots
curling in on itself
drying up and losing its leaves
until one day
it finally snaps
and the whole tree falls
the whole tree rots
but what is left to feed
there is no tree anymore
there are only hollow roots
and the soil soaks them up to too
