Perennial [2025]
In the last two-hundred millennia, modern humans have been inventing tools, developing art, and modifying our environment. I recently discovered a subculture of bonsai enthusiasts who “cheat time” using power tools to surgically graft new plant growth into deadwood. Within a few years, they achieve hybrids appearing to be ancient trees that survived centuries of harsh climate. These specimens are coveted as objects of beauty because they embody our appreciation for rising above the suffering of existence.