The Sand Hill Review http://www.sandhillreview.org 2004
Nature
Lovers
Let’s start small. First put in a tree, a Japanese maple,
an acacia. Make it deciduous or not. Plant one that clings to its leaves and
won’t let go, just as we cling to the belief that good will prevail, that
nature will triumph. Place in a pond, a hillock, a grassy knoll-- without the
historical associations. Now add birds: an egret, a plover, a robin, or be
creative and name new breeds; the double-breasted snickersnack,
the humpback spawn catcher, the coastal hinky-spink.
Let there be dirt, and lots of it, and grass and weeds and rocks to roll. Be magnanimous,
bring in the mole, the skunk, the bandit raccoon. (We don’t always get to
choose who we get to work with.) There’s an ill wind blowing so put in a
bulldozer, a chainsaw, an old growth tree. Every story needs conflict and
that’s what’s coming our way. Endanger all the occupants of the poem; speak of
cause, and in the same breath, effect, there is no separation and we aren’t
naïve. Toss in landscape then seascape, the California coast--Malibu, Laguna,
Mori Point—get beyond the point, remember, not the Alamo but the Arctic. Then
take the next step and protect it. If, at the close of the day, we’re not too
tired let’s take back key words for our own use: Let’s dredge for the
truth, let’s mine our native mysteries. We’ll need to conserve our
strength for the battle ahead. Oxalis is taking over the yard and there’s going
to be a fight. The green lawn dies but maybe it should. It’s tiresome, I know,
we’re older and diminished by our battles, let’s learn a lesson from the potato
vine and throw out another shoot. They say if you can get over the dog you
can get over the tail, so roll up your sleeves, nature lovers, it’s time to
plant again.