Wohlleben’s Wood Wide Web

Wohlleben’s ‘Wood-Wide-Web’

Tony Jolley 17/09/2022    

Got to admit it!

Great name for a natural scientist:

Mr. Live-Well or Mr. Good-Life:

A kind of Caer Caveral the Forestal

[If you are Stephen Donaldson-inclined

And love his meisterstück:

The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant Unbeliever

And IMHO, if you’re not, you should be!]

Or an Ent or Huorn

If you prefer your Lord of the Rings:

Guardians of trees and forests

Becoming trees and forests themselves.

Mr. Good-Life ‘listens’ to tree language

At such long wavelengths

And low modulations

Anyone else would figure they’re flat:

Featureless;

Soundless;

Speechless;

Meaningless;

[But to him they’re anything but!] –

They seem to represent

More collectivity than individuality,

More society even than family

In temperate times and in adversity.

He sees signs of the tree-times

In movements so slow most of us miss them,

Lying deep below the leaf-bed duvet.

Mr. Live-Well can interpret

Their arboreal internet,

Make meaning from messages

On their Wood-Wide-Web.

Wonder whether, far from Hümmel,

He’s visited Thimmamma Marrimanu,

Centurion or Hyperion

And managed to listen to their lore

And read their runes….

… They’ll recognise him, I’m sure,

Recognise him

[If slowly, cautiously, but surely]

As a kindred spirit across the species:

One who takes the time to care.

One who loves life:

A friend.

.

Do make a point of reading Wohlleben’s truly amazing book:

The Hidden Life of Trees

.