#poem “Can There Be A Way?”

I look out a window at the tree that grows too close to the power lines
A gorgeous oak tree, vibrant and strong.
But it must be cut down,
Because of this increasingly claustrophobic, industrial world
There’s little room for nature to grow.
Pavement replaces soil
Streetlamps replace trees
Stars are blinded out by false lights
Trash collects and grows in place of grass
The wonders of nature are slowly replaced by unfeeling, dead things.
I look for the berry bush where the robins used to nest
I look for the fairybell flowers where I used to pretend fairies hid
I look for the brook where the deer once played
I look for the moss which had made the softest carpet
To walk across with my bare feet.
I miss it all, the freshness of the air and the true-blue sky
The scent of balsam fir woods in autumn
The scent of wild lilacs in spring.
And yet I know I rely on and enjoy the luxury that industries provide.
I feel trapped in a contradiction.
Can there be a way to coexist
Preserve nature while also providing modern conveniences?
To keep the air clean for our lungs
To keep the water clear for our nourishment
And to avoid chemicals that can do us and our children harm?
There must be a way, I ponder
As I watch the oak tree sawed down
Its limbs, its trunk collapsing into a heap
Leaving behind an empty space to be filled by another streetlamp.

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