Forest Dialog
Entering the forest
devastate the shield of technology
dance the steps of recuperation
walking into the emphatic presence
of Mountain
those gliding verticals
this distributed sentience—
don’t stifle the eros
steady your body through ours
say the conifers—
be penetrated by the world pouring through
Dark squeak of rubbing trees, breath of the lichens
Below jet trails and cloud veils
this old solidarity
sings through the birds—
We balance in air, make love to the soil
persuade light to flow through us
like space-time to a star—
Now my feet are ears listening downward
my eyes seen by the forested slopes
kinetic conversations
with beings who think
along the whole length of their bodies
who tell the story of time
& sanctuary to squirrels, birds, spiders
through eons of boulder fields and tap roots
give their lives over to scuttling beetles, joyfully
it happens like this in cycles.
—We borrow from snows and sunlight
give back with interest.
burrowing deeper
exchange nutrients through mycelium’s generosity
As you chant your litanies of power and despair
We give. We give.
We are the world.—
Inhaling, draw the world deep inside
Exhale, offer myself to the world
Improv, just playin’
with all of life, just playin’ along
jamming with the song
—We are the song.
We’re the earth’s own awareness
comfort to the land
here for all
who suffer from this lack, forgotten how to give back—
vast and brooding and
slowly walking towards me through the clarified air
—We don’t give a damn what you people are
what you did, what you’re doing, what you will do
it doesn’t strike us
even as your steel blades strike us
we give, we give, we live
we are the that world
we hold the world like that
the heavy sky
all the holy lesser flora
brambles and thunder and woodpeckers
all the fauna
the ultimate ground, this body of wonder, the world—
not that image from NASA, seen from outside
by a cold mechanical guise of objectivity
a transcendent god or
surveillance satellite
—There are new stories
waiting in the cool grasses—
says the flower-studded meadow
—all foolishness falls to gravity—says the sunlight
to the glistening eyes and listening ears
of Elementals
overseeing the passion
sufficient
beyond lustful crushes
ticking clocks
and hungering for anything
—we have everything, are everything
Here
right
here
Your brief philosophy can nest in our branches
Your secret misery can nestle in our deep skirts of cones
Decompose your pain here
we won’t take any of it to heart —
and the facts that you spin that we aren’t alive
aren’t your equals, your sequels
your gods
sail through our boughs
like soft ghosts or harsh gusts
and soothe us
We laugh in the storms
explosions exult us
fire delights us
ice shines enveloping forests
nothing is permanent
the rocks and We will teach you that
Our siblings crack stones in the footprints of snow
in the history of great upheavals
and the pacing of geologic mood swings
swooping, passing over to be gone while
we root
stretch higher and deeper
let go in the winds
ever-shifting lattice of affiliation
co-arising
Let your children learn from us how to be peace
how to be powerful
how to let go
let go, let go, go deeper, go on
flex flow flower wither
decay fall sink arise
no grasping
We have this, we are this for you
a bridge to the silences between you & bear
moon, moss, wind
what we are
what we are what we
are
only hosannas of praise—
take it.
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