1st place in Derby #127: Renew, with 621 votes!

Amid the towering Redwoods, new life fights and struggles to find the sun. Stretching, straining, and glistening with morning dew, a young sapling with its first foothold on the world begins its journey aboard a tiny ball of rock hurtling through the vast emptiness of space.

Though empires rise and fall, species thrive and die out, and even the stars themselves burn bright and blink out of existence, life continues its tenuous yet relentless grip. The forest may burn. The oceans may once again cover this place. A wayward comet may one day blink it all out of existence. But life will find a way.

While it may not look like much now, this young sprout will grow. It will take full advantage of the nutrient-rich soil, of the life ebbing from its fallen brothers and sisters, and the various animals that may pass through the clearing. Then, one day, towering in the dappled sunlight, you will fail to notice its majesty and walk right through it, ensuring the worst case of poison oak you will have ever experienced in your life.

Wear this shirt: To the Arborists’ Ball.

Don’t wear this shirt: To the airport. It’s all black and white and spooky and it’s going to make TSA raise an eyebrow.

This shirt tells the world: I enjoy people staring quizzically at my belly.

We call this color: Blank canvass black

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