Mad wolf boys bay
a waxing solstice moon
to Bloom
PTSD
Violence
is the Gateway
Nowhere to hide
Bang Bang
Warblers sing on
Fright
fragments
innocence
Nerves strung too tight
contract
Guns batter
Forest Peace
Bang Bang
Warblers sing on
Nighthawk soars
Uncertainty
Change
Flaming bombs
explode
Screaming cells
beg for relief.
Bang Bang
Warblers sing on
Acceptance
Is full of magic
Prepare
A feast of gratitude
Hold tight to Birds
Let go
Breathe
into Crazy
stretch credibility
plan escape.
Bang Bang
Warblers sing on
Robin sits
on her nest
warming blue eggs
Peering
through Cedar’s
Fragrant eyes-
Black Pearls
have wings
Just like the
Hemlocks
against
whose ribbed trunks
I lean
Amazed.
Bang Bang
Warblers sing on
Waving at me
with urgent needles
fluttering leaves
trees tell me
most will die
In one hundred years
who will
be left to care?
Bang Bang
Warblers sing on
Rooted
in moist earth.
rotund trunks
branch low.
Step ladders
to the sky
turn blue
hemlocks breathe
mourning tears
needles showered in
gold and green
transform
morning light.
Bang Bang
Warblers sing on…
Commentary:
If this poem strikes the reader as discordant I have made my point. As we approach the summer solstice, deep greening shading us from the heat, we enter the summer season living a split between nature’s intentions and those belonging to so many humans.
Richard Powers states:
“To see green is to grasp the Earth’s intention.”
Isn’t Greening is all about celebrating light as the trees photosynthesize creating the oxygen most species need to breathe?
At summer solstice the waxing of the light has been accomplished. At the solstice the sun stands still and then begins its slow journey south decreasing in intensity. For nature, summer is a time of increasing abundance heightened by glorious flowers and pollinating bees and butterflies flooding fields and gardens. The mating songs of birds are fading into softer summer melodies. Berries ripen, seeds have already been set by early spring flowers; others will follow. Birds are laying eggs; some are fledging. The scent of summer is intoxicating for birds, mammals and trees, all of which have keen noses of one kind or the other. (Yes, trees can smell and communicate through scents by air!)
The heat slows most of nature down. By noontime the trees are shutting down photosynthesis for the day as temperatures increase. Now trees begin to transpire releasing moisture that may or may not bring in a summer shower. Brooks and streams lose water, vernal pools dry up as tiny toads and frogs seek the comfort of wet leaf litter or an overgrown garden to hide in. Birds cease most afternoon singing. Early mornings and late evenings allow the fox and coyote to hunt. Bears emerge from bogs and the tree frogs begin their evening symphony, perhaps punctuated by an owl’s hoot or a kingfisher rattle as the latter fishes the brook for trout. The night sparkles with the cool green light of a few fireflies…
Unfortunately, many people seem pitted against this season of grace and plenty. Frantic partying, roaring boats, motorcylces, four wheelers, trucks, speeding cars scream so loud that nature’s sounds are drowned out. It’s no wonder the 4 percent of animals that are left on this planet hide. Bright spotlights light up the night so stars, migrating birds and fireflies disappear. I often wonder if these folks see anything that is connected to the planet that supports them. So much beauty wasted.
The issue of making as much noise as possible may be one way to drown out all salient thought – a powerful form of denial. The other of course, is spending so much time pursuing “busy” as recreation, even if it’s rabid mountain climbing or racing down a woodland trail.
I won’t bother to address our addiction to shopping and technology.
Most disturbing is a trend that I have been following for about 20 years. The noise is getting louder; yes we have more people, but TV and Video games have also become more violent. Why are so many addicted to explosives of one kind or another be it video games, fireworks, murders, mufflers, bombs or guns? Noise pollution has become endemic to the culture as a whole.
An urgent question for me is to ask what this noise may be doing to the cells of our bodies/minds whether we think we are sensitive to noise or not?
Many studies show that as the temperatures heat up more familial abuse (rape especially) and murders seem to occur. Of course this is a complex issue, but I invite the reader to google some of these disturbing studies. When I finally did they confirmed that my senses were not deceiving me.
For those of us who need quiet time to think, to dive deep to write, to allow our bodies to decide when to wake and sleep, to move with the rhythms of nature, life becomes an uphill struggle as we are forced to live by a (deranged?) human clock. Even if a person doesn’t suffer from PTSD like I do, finding peace is a challenge. I am graced by having a place to go to hide. I can fall asleep and rise with the birds, but what do others do?
My poem juxtaposes bird song with explosives mirroring the fact that song birds like warblers sooth the human soul and probably that of all non – human sentient beings while highlighting an ever growing dramatic split between humans and the rest of nature.
The use of boys is deliberate. Adolescent Male aggression (regardless of age) appears to peak at this time of the year. I see the solstice as reflecting the apex of destructive male power, a radical view that I have not seen expressed elsewhere.
I’d like to know what others think.
BIO: Sara is a naturalist, ethologist (a person who studies animals in their natural habitats) (former) Jungian Pattern Analyst, and a writer. She publishes her work regularly in a number of different venues and is presently living in Maine.
feminismandreligion.com 
A GREAT Article.
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thanks – apparently most folks don’t see this as much an issue – kind of discouraging, that.
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I beg to disagree with them.
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“An urgent question for me is to ask what this noise may be doing to the cells of our bodies/minds whether we think we are sensitive to noise or not?” Tons of research has shown that noise can increase anxiety, depression, stroke, high blood pressure, etc. It is definitely a public health as well as spiritual well being issue. This year I’ve noticed that my little small town neighborhood seems much noisier with lawn mowers, leaf blowers, trucks and cars, people playing music loudly from their cars, etc. A number of towns around me have tried to limit use of leaf blowers due in part to the noise but not always successfully. I’ve been trying to spend more time in woodsy areas just listening to the birds and other forest sounds, and its rare to have more than a few minutes of quiet at a time.
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Yes, the machine noise is extreme – always a lawnmower, weedwhacker, dump trucker, motorcycle, speeding cars no mufflers – regular traffic – it goes on and on – but its more than just noise – or ‘country boy’ shit – for some i think there is intent to harm or to assert ‘Rights” over others – power – same old problem – kind of a both and thing – My solution is yours – take to the woods – or wear protective ear gear – annoying but works – last night for example – cool and grey and BOOM -first explosion at 8:45 – my cells were screaming as I jumped out of my skin – unpredictability is something the body can’t prepare for….this is a real problem and like everything else that is really important we have developed ways to avoid dealing with it. My favorite is “oh i just let it role over me”.
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one more point I forgot to make is that the bang bang boys can be male identified women as well. Although it must be said that most of the offenders are men, some women also engage in this destructive behavior that is harming us all – including those who create it.
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