Friday, July 29, 2005

Please, Don't Walk Upon the Grass

A weed struggles to thrive amidst the trash,
reaching through a veil of smog,
searching for its share of that little bit of sun.
Nature, though feeble, is fighting back.
Please, don't walk upon the grass.

High above, upon an artificial ledge,
reflected in the glass, a hawk surveys unlikely territory.
Has he lost his way?
What prey is his to take here, in this concrete jungle?
Will his yellow eyes see only human ants,
traffic scurrying about,
prey too big to grasp within his talons.
Ah, but if he's lucky, a mouse perhaps
will catch his eye as he soars above the city park.
Please, don't walk upon the grass.

The park, the closest thing to Nature hereabouts,
yet so manicured,
with benches for the elderly to rest
beside a man-made pond.
The geese, majestic, but spoiled by human scraps.
I see one, a sickly bird
with discarded plastic wrapped around his neck,
trash tossed away by some uncaring passerby.
Please, don't walk upon the grass.

Migrating birds in a city parks, or those in residence,
they say, are messy.
They defecate upon the grass,
an act that labels them a nuisance.
What can the city fathers do?
Remove the geese …
diaper the ducks.
Please, don't walk upon the grass.

We have strayed so far from our earthly home
that we know not how to act.
We are afraid to feel the Earth, unimpeded,
beneath our feet … to know her warmth
like a baby knows its mother.
Please, don't walk upon the grass.

Feral cats, stray dogs, and rats.
Drug crazed killers on the loose.
Mothers battered,
babies lost, abandoned, shot.
Fathers gone, not caring.
We need our Mother's breast to suckle
so that we can feel and be again,
know the touch of grass beneath our feet,
smell the green, see blue
and, at night, the stars.
Please, do walk upon the grass.
We need to walk upon the grass.
We have to walk upon the grass.

Vi
© July 29, 2005

1 Comments:

At 8:49 PM, Blogger Imogen Crest said...

This gave me chills because it is a sad, but somewhat accurate picture of the feelings of the human soul in present times. I loved the Hawk's observations. Yes, we do need to walk on the grass, often.

 

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