SCIENCE OF THE TREE
R. Hu

Off in the distance, one can see,

On a hill there exists a tree,

And on that mound the tree shall dwell;

What should happen if this tree fell?

The branches strong, will strike the ground;

Scientifically speaking, it will produce a sound.

I will attempt, but to no avail,

To describe this to you, in every detail.

We will discover if this tree spoke;

Suppose the tree was just an oak.

Its branches are long and they touch the sky;

Its trunk is black, and a hundred feet high!

The weather is calm, and the air is still;

There is nothing alive, near the hill.

The roots of the plant could no longer hold;

This tree was getting to be very old!

So one day, the air got warm;

The weather stirred and there was a storm!

Afterwards, the tree was found,

It was no longer on its mound.

The time it fell, I don’t know;

There was no one, at the show!

Sadly though, there is no more shade;

If no one was there, was noise ever made?

Sound waves are vibrations that travel through air;

Based on the evidence, sound was never there.

Sound only exists, when it reaches our ear;

Therefore sound was not heard, because no one was near.

If sound is not heard, many would insist;

The blast therefore, did not exist.

The conclusion that came might be a bit abrupt;

Its account of the fall is somewhat corrupt.

When things pulsate, they all behave;

Vibrating objects form a weak wave.

When finding the proof, there are problems we face;

The Earth we are assuming is the place.

No living organism can be around;

Gravity is what brought the tree down!

So in a sense, the crash did exist;

To that point, I must resist;

No one saw the fall, thus no one knew the scene;

For all I know, the fall could have been clean!

The descent of the tree was not at all rough;

Sound travels fast, but not fast enough!

The aging tree has a history to boast!

The answer is what will shock you the most!

We can only infer the tree’s chosen path;

We only know before, and the aftermath!

Ultimately though, the debate is done;

No one has lost, and no one has won;

The sound of the drop, will never reach the drum;

The riddle remains unsolved, for times to come!