IRL Giving Tree Appears in California
A photo of a local Oakland, California, tree stump has gone viral after a photo of it was posted to Reddit and Instagram earlier this week. The pictures show a passage of Shel Silverstein’s beloved 1964 book The Giving Tree written on what remains of the stump soon after the tree was cut down.
The verse written reads:
"I don't need very much now,"
said the boy,
"just a quiet place to sit and rest.
I am very tired."
"Well," said the tree,
straightening herself up as much as she could,
"well, an old stump is good for sitting and resting.
Come, Boy, sit down.Sit down and rest."
And the boy did.
This passage almost concludes the entire book, which is entirely about selflessness and the devastating passage of time (the only line following this one is “And the tree was happy.”) (Do not @ me with “SpOiLErR ALERT!!!” complaints, I do not want to hear it, are you serious.). The book was a staple of everyone I know’s childhoods and the inspiration for many an English major's tattoos.
This reminder of it has made people cry all over again. “Fuck you for making me feel," one Redditor wrote. “This book makes me cry even today. I’m 33 now.” Quite literally thousands agreed.
And the world was happy. For once.
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