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"Hello there! How are you doing this morning?"
"I'm doing well enough, thank you."
"Is there anything I can do for you?"
"Well, you could give me some water. If I don't have a drink now I'll regret it this afternoon."
"It's wise of you to think ahead."
"I am head. A head attached to the earth. Rooted in the planet itself."
"Does your lack of mobility bother you?"
"Not really. I get plenty of action. "
"What kind of action?"
"Most of my interaction is with four elements:
fire, air, earth and water. They are constantly moving and changing in their own way, and based on my knowledge of them, I can imagine all sorts of things, enough to satisfy my urge for activity. Mostly I just meditate and enjoy feeling myself grow. I'm always trying to learn ways to improve myself"
"Like how?"
"Well, I've learned to wrinkle myself in just the right way to keep air circulating around my leaves. That's what makes me smart."
"How smart are you?"
"I know a lot of things you don't."
"Like what?"
"I know about mating habits of certain small insects. I am familiar with millions of bits of information in the soil where my roots explore. They gather the information and pass it along to
me. I digest it and put it to the best use I can."
"In order to improve yourself?"
"Exactly."
"Why do you want to improve yourself"
"It's what all living things do. You should know that."
"I guess you're smarter than I am."
"I'm only a head. You have other parts to distract you."
"It's these other parts that allow me to discover things you can't."
"You may have a greater variety of knowledge, but you don't know how to put it to proper use."
"Like you do?"
"Let's just say I am more discriminating and single-minded, and that when I discover something truly useful I put it to use."
"So you think we humans don't know how to use our heads?"
"I think you spend too much time trying to be something you don't understand instead of spending that time trying to understand what you are."
"Hmmm, you may be right. You're pretty wise."
"You mean for a cabbage?"
"No.........just wise in general."
"At least you seem willing to acknowledge the possibility that humans have something to learn from the plant world."
"I've always thought that. Otherwise I wouldn't be asking you questions."
"Touche."
"There is another thing I wonder about. What do you think when you're separated from your roots?"
"We all know how we are going to end up, and we accept it. We are comforted by the fact we will become a part of the humans who eat us, and in this way we will live on in them."
"And when they're gone?"
"You know, it's all in the course of things. Nobody should have to spend very long in this "ferkokta" world anyway."
"Where did you learn Yiddish?"
"My ancestors came from a Jewish village in ....eastern Europe, I think. They passed a few words along."
"No doubt you have a fascinating ancestry."
"My family tree is complicated."
"Well, you are an interesting head, and I feel I've learned a thing or two from you."
"Thanks. You're okay too. Maybe someday you'll eat me, and then we can be together."
"I'll have to think about that."
"While you're thinking about it, could I have that drink of water?"
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