An ode to the sacrificial sheath

Watching the rubber plant in my living room grow, is a constant source of joy. Every morning I wake up to find a new leaf has unfurled. I noticed that the leaf develops inside a sheath, which grows larger as the leaf develops. Today morning it had unfurled into a mature leaf and the sheath around it looked dry and dead. As I touched the dry sheath it dropped off from the plant. Watching the elegant flight of the sacrificial sheath was almost poetic in the depth of its pain and the grandeur of its achievement. Inside this now mature leaf, another fragile immature leaf patiently awaited its turn to develop and I awaited its poignant arrival.