Ariel Yelen

The Dynamic of Moving a Tree Stump

A group of us meet in a field to move a stump
Someone brings gloves and hands them out to everyone

Someone says beautiful stump
The person who needs the stump moved says

Ya, it’s beautiful right?
Someone else asks, what is this, cedar

No one answers
Someone finally says, looks like it

But the stump has become its own thing
It doesn’t seem to be part of the tree family anymore

It belongs to heavy, oversized objects
Group projects

Things that must be moved
Conversations about trees

The person who needs the stump moved says
It might be easier if we roll it

We roll the stump to the truck
OK lift

OK hold on let me get the roots
OK you can go to that side

OK watch out
Move away

Be careful
After we move the stump to the truck

It turns out there’s another place we need to move the stump to
Some people drive in the truck

To where the stump needs to go
Others walk

Some of us become committed to getting the stump to its final and proper place
Some of us become less useful