So many things I did not know

Someone once cut me down to a stump
I waited to decay until nothing remained
I waited in vain

Trees, it turns out, keep each other alive

Mycorrhizal networks, they call ‘em
they communicate through sugar-fed fungi
They warn of danger

They send messages on the air
By way of pheromones and other scents
That tell each other to be prepared

Trees know the difference between an attack
And an inadvertent break
They know when to defend and when to heal

So many things I did not know because I couldn’t trust
So many things that I know now because I survived to tell the tale

All that time, I thought I was alone
When, really, I was being kept alive to rise again
Selectively pruned, I grew up true and stronger this time

I got by with a little help from a lot of friends
And now I give as much as I got
We keep each other alive

Bob Ross was right
Happy trees have friends