Can you tell me where the flowers are
That glorified our hill;
The purple-tinged wisteria,
The honeyed daffodil?
And where have all the starlings flown,
The grebes, the chickadees,
That raised a psalm to each new morn
With awe-filled symphonies?
I’ve noticed, too, the spruce and fir
That boldly stood their ground
When wind and flood and winter storm
With fury did astound;
Are numbered just a precious few
That have managed to forestall
The woodsman’s axe, the dozer’s blade,
The chain saw and the maul.
The soil that once absorbed the rain
To replenish wells below
Has been stripped away – no deep-set roots
To stem the rapid flow.
The rain now rushes undeterred
Over cragged, barren ground,
And dumps its grimy sediment
Into river, lake, and sound.
Our mountain has been laid to waste
For profits born from greed.
How much more can earth withstand
Before we just concede?
Nicely done, Joseph. We need more people (especially in government) who have a conscience. We're betting our future on the earth's resiliency, without thinking that the world's resources hold a finite supply of needed materials.
Les
With a human consciousness of what we, our species, does, there is hope that our earth may survive us all and replenish her stores for whatever, whoever, comes along after we are gone. We may not ourselves endure, but creation, it seems may endure.
I liked your poem, JOe, it shows the craftsman like care I have seen in others of your work.
Peter
Nice work with an important message.
JoeT,
Very well done. The form, rhyme and the message all work together in this poem. We were responsible for the destruction...are we responsible enough to fix it? I hope so.
john
Beautiful!
"Loving people is like farting in the wind; You don't actually accomplish anything, but you feel better."
~The Great and Powerful Angelia~
Les:
The sad part about this poem is that it describes the very real destruction of the cliffs that frame the western end of our town. They've been totally stripped and sheered away to make room for a 580-unit condominium complex. And this before work has even been completed on an even larger condo complex right in town! The devastation has wreaked havoc on the environment. We had a doe visit our yard this past winter - the first one ever in the 30 years we've owned the house. She had to cross a six-lane highway and travel more than a mile through city streets to get here. She was hit by a truck a couple of days later. Several others have been killed on the highway along with wild turkeys, foxes, and all sorts of creatures you don't usually see in this part of New Jersey. Development here is totally out of hand.
Peter:
Thanks for reading and commenting. Your thoughts are valued and always welcome.
Debutant:
Yes, the message is important, but I'm afraid so few of those in power are actually listening. Thank you.
John:
You've written so many excellent poems about nature. I was hoping you'd see this one and enjoy it. I'm glad you did.
Keeper:
Always glad to hear from you. Thank you for the comment.
A worthwhile read with a message Joe. I enjoyed it immensely. Unfortunately greed will always win out. I hope it isn't too late already.
JP
The soil that once absorbed the rain
To replenish wells below
Has been stripped away – no deep-set roots
To stem the rapid flow.
I appreciate your empathy with nature and empathise too. This was an enjoyable read!
JP and K.Q.:
Thank you both for reading and commenting. I don't consider myself much of an environmentalist, but this devastation is brutal - a real blight. The cowardly behavior of our elected officials and the "in your face" attitude of the developer set off an inner anger that still surprises me somewhat. It's really the first time anger has ever inspired me to write.
JoeT
Joseph, a devastatingly true read...beautifully written for an ugly reality. Gwyd
It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it. (Aristotle)
Gwydion:
I appreciate your comments which I always welcome.
JoeT
Enough trees are brought down, daily; we don't need this piece of poetry to fall away either. Bump.
Gwyd
It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it. (Aristotle)
Thanks, Gwydion. Your check from the Earth Day Committee is in the mail.
JoeT
Dang, Joe, the least you could have done is bumped this one to the top. Good poem, happy earth day.
Les
Wow. I must have missed this back then. A very well written and enjoyable poem, Joe. It was well worthy of being bumped and timely. Thanks Les.
Marty
Les:
Thanks for the bump.
Marty:
Glad you found it this time. Thanks for reading and commenting.
Joe
So beautifully written
sl:
Thank you. I appreciate your taking the time to read and to comment.
Joe
Bump for Earth Day, April 22, 2009.
Good one, Joe.
[www.earthday.net] />
Les
Joe, you transported me back to the masters of
the craft with this call to conscience. An elegant
and true reflection of our neglect of so many things. tom
Tom:
Your comments are much appreciated.
Joe
One more time for Earth Day. I'm afraid the world has stopped paying attention to this most important date.
Joe, some of us haven't forgotten Earth Day.
Click on the link below the featured video. The videos listed in the right hand column of the following page each explore an Earth Day topic:
[www.youtube.com] />
Les
Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 04/22/2011 03:21PM by les712.
Thank you, Peter
Well, some of your poems are very special...this among them.
Peter