I found ten in all…
Birds nests –
Too many I knew.
Woven of grasses,
tufts of hair
these spiral shells
fell out
of trees
at my feet.
I stared up
at branching canopies –
shuddered in Silence.
Shallow roots
can’t tap water
from a ground
this parched.
Thirsty trunks and frightened limbs
are held fast –
imprisoned by an unforgiving sky.
Caterpillars suck down
nourishing sap.
Leaves curl and droop –
Skeletons crackle
under my feet.
Beloved cedars
are losing their glorious fans.
Browning ominously.
My brook is going dry…
I no longer weep.
Death flies through dry air
on a fiery Warlock’s Broom
crafted from Human Stupidity.
Once I dreamed this
Nightmare when
waters flowed freely.
Peepers sung up spring nights –
silvery veils and curtains fell –
a chorus of tree frogs
heralded wet autumn days…
I slept well in thickening fog.
Oh, for the sound of those poignant refrains
Oh, for the scent of rain sweetened songs.
Now I live the drought
month after month.
Witnessing the Dying.
Once I fled to a desert
to escape Climate Despair.
My body’s thirst for water
My heart’s thirst
My head’s constant ache
all visceral reminders
that our precious Life Force
is draining away –
Even the mycelial net
beneath the ground
needs Water to live.
The Autumn Equinox approaches.
Once, a moment to celebrate Balance
between Light and Dark,
This year the Earth
is forced to Grind
one Dying Seasoninto another…
