This poem was first published in, "Where We’re From: An Anthology", Lynn Valley Literary Society, 2010.
It is reprinted here, as a homage to a "lost cause" in environmental activism -- at great loss and cost to the future ecological integrity of this mountain and watershed.
And of course, ART....
"Brrr Naked Trees" (2017)
As I sit sipping hot
lemon tea
sweetened with sugar
I see in the corner of
my eye — Ghosts from an
aboriginal past
flit out from the forested path
across the street.
Turning to get a better look
they vanish like forest sprites
hiding their secrets from
ancient times.
The forest held many stories
told, then lost within the
encroachment of Suburbia.
Of paths once travelled by
Scouts and Girl Guides,
now
casual hikers and thrill seeking
mountain bikers; dirt bikers;
young and old; dogs; cats; coyotes and bears.
The odd emaciated mountain lion
seeking refuge in a townhouse dumpster,
complete with over-processed, undercooked meals
Six days old.
Its plaintive yowls unnerve the
folk of Suburbia.
“Call the conservation officer;
local SPCA; RCMP”, who
humanely put the cat out of its misery
with three shots to the skull
that echo between
the mountains and post-beam houses.
Modern drumbeats.
On the Seventh Day the Lion rests
forever.
Another forest myth
hidden away for eternity.
The voice of the forest has become obliterated
by the drone
of aeroplanes and lawnmowers;
the crack of a falling tree as it
dies from the fatal wound
of the Chainsaw.
The whispering Ghosts of the forest have
become overwhelmed by the
cacophony
of Suburban and Urban myths.
Of speed and sound
— faster, louder —
more, More, MORE…!
Be still and listen.
Look
and see the Ghosts of the
aboriginal forest.
Prehistory; pre-suburbia
when pace was slow; of purpose and meaning.
Only then the forest will yield its
ancient secrets.
Only then, the deaf will see and
the blind will hear.
Be still, be still my children —
the ancient forest will speak
from the heart and soul
of a mountain Lion.
***
(“The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it." ~Psalm24:1)
Copyright © 2009 M.E.Craver *All Rights Reserved*
***
More about the "slow-motion clearcut" of Fromme Mountain, etc. can be found here. Homage to a "lost cause" -
