I think this is an excellent shot!
Regardless of the author's stated intention and regardless of whether some viewers see the same, the shot works above all as a visual enigma, having at least two planes of reality (i.e., leaves and refections), with a surface tension between them, as one of the many visual contrasts existing in the picture: warm tones vs. cold, crisp vs. unsharp, above, vs. below (the surface), "real" world vs. reflected oneā¦ It is hyper-real and abstract and allegoric at the same time.
Oh, and did I mention I like it? I can also imagine it printed on one of those super glossy surfaces, i.e., metallic or even on metal directly, or face-mounted plexi.