litter lamentation

today i saw a beer can hung upon a tree top,

it’s opening slotted over the tip of the branch

as if it were yet another accessory designed for human convenience

and i looked out onto the deep green river below me;

the sun dazzling in tiny spots upon its surface,

the faint white stripes appearing as it ran under the bridge

and i noticed a scribble of graffiti in the center of a rusty beam;

boasting proof of someone’s bravery to crawl to the centre,

and i thought of scrawling my own message:

“YOU ARE DESTROYING ME”

but then it occurred:

who am i to blame the other?

when i am guilty of the same charge,

oblivious to my own mindless contribution to the destruction of our mother

how often do i thoughtlessly abuse the resources i’ve access to?

simply for personal pleasure or coveted convenience, 

ignorant to their damaging repercussions.

and am i to blame for this gradual decay of remembered convictions?

neglecting my efforts towards conscience consumption,

losing sight of this known mortality.

and as these thoughts were ruminating in my head,

i came across a diversion in the trail,

discovering a resting place within a fallen tree.

and as i sat down to soak in the sunlight and brave the breeze,

a still silence came over me,

and suddenly i began to hear the gentle trickle of the stream,

the crackling ice,

the chirping birds

participating in the most gentle combat with the noise of bypassing cars

“i am still here

i am adapting,

i will remain resilient,

i will keep fighting”

how much have i still to learn from our mother.