Dear Leaf Blowers,

I write to you, mangled on the ground and far removed from my home tree, as a result of your treachery. But before I start, I would like first and foremost for you to know that I do have the deepest respect for the work that you have and continue to do. I understand your purpose, however, as a leaf myself I must admit that I do not exactly appreciate your execution. 

Once upon a time, I laid at the root of my tree, dew dripping from my midrib, surrounded by my fellow leaves. But then all of a sudden, a monstrous noise roared from the sky and I was in fear, fear for my life, fear for my friends’ and family’s lives. I was then forcefully relocated, ripped apart from my people, my home, dumped near a whole new tree that I neither came from nor have any knowledge about. 

What did I do to deserve such treatment? All I did was fall from my tree, and that wasn’t even MY choice, it was my tree’s choice, and they had to do that so they can survive the winter and grow new leaves next spring. I am simply a cog in the machine; a symptom of the season. Nothing I have ever done deserves the violence that you have inflicted. Not only do you blow me away like a meaningless speck of dust but you disregard the entire context of my life, as if I don’t have a home, a family, a community. 

What I ask of you, leaf blowers, is to be gentler, kinder… Recognize that I have a purpose just as you do, that we can all work together in harmony without ripping my entire family apart. I won’t lie, I have no idea how your mechanics operate, I can only implore you to change because I am literally just a leaf, yet my hope is that you will be inspired to take it upon yourself to find a solution that can work for the both of us. 

Sincerely,

A leaf