The Stump
Daniel David Perz

The stump sat lonely in a field
Unafraid and under-appreciated
Unused and useless
The stump missed the apple tree that had once been perched upon it
It missed the company that the apples had brought
No one saw any value in a stump
Occasionally an animal or a human tripped over it
So it was more a nuisance than anything else
Unlike the apple tree, the stump could not commit itself to death
So it just sat there, hoping for the best
It had always been complacent and nonchalant
So it was in no hurry
After being in second place for so long
But life didn’t seem all that better from first place either
Sure there was more to see and experience when unburdened by that
apple tree that had been on its shoulders
But the stump still felt somewhat empty
Luckily one day a human was walking one day
And grew tired nearby the stump
The human sat on the stump to relax
And that was the most exhilarating thing that the stump had ever experienced
It had had a use!
For the first time, someone used the stump and not the apple tree!
The sense of contentedness lasted long after the human left the stump
The stump still missed the apple tree
But now it felt that there was purpose in its existence
And awaited the next time a human might take a breath upon its back