Of course the sidewalk makes room for trees

On a walk down the main street in Princeton this morning, I was glad to take note of the trees lining the road. With the help of my walking companions, I couldn't help think about this location of the "natural:" trees in boxes of stone, standing beside slabs of concrete, roots invisible yet assumed, and (the aura that trees can't help but project) all the certainty of their permanence.

One wonders: did the town grow around the tree, or was it the other way around?

When I see trees all rooted up, on their way some place in the back of a truck, I wonder about their origins and the soon-to-be illusory glow of origin that will no doubt surround even their thinnest branches after they've reached their new homes.