Complicated Reality

I bet you can't.

You can tell me about weather histories.

You can lecture me about nutrients.

You can diagram the carbon cycle.

You can chart the soil composition.

You can survey the topography.

You can place it on a map.

You can tell me who it belongs to.

Or who cared for it.

You can point out where that branch fell off.

You can show me pictures of how it used to be.

You can tell me if it's living.

You can guess how long it has left.

You can decorate it.

You can celebrate it.

But I bet you can't draw me a picture,

of what that tree was supposed to be.

Because no matter how much you know

about how things could have been

you can't look at these branches

and point to the part that's wrong.