earth note 8

the peaks of the san juans near ouray colorado
should be sharp enough
to poke a hole & drain a washington slushfund
the logic
of timber   gas   oil   mining dollars
ready to assault the land & water
a simple sacred sunset
is enough to make us shout
somewhat more important
than whether or not forrest gump
eats his chocolate
or whether the idols were bought or rented

these mountains connect millennia
generations of eagles
long-horned sheep
cliff dwellers
tribes communities
shadowed valleys awaiting sunrise
bones of sages unsettled
twisting in the riverbed
waiting for an awakening
are we up to it?
don't wait for lefty
there's no time
he's probably lost in
square times
deals are being done
ponderosa logs sailing from seattle
test wells then excavation then waste piles
it all started in a lie

i see another days of rage
john muir and gandhi chanting
university teach-ins congressional sit-ins
bodies in front of bulldozers
pass out poetry on wall street
a future with mountains
wild rivers
pine saplings
children with a chance
to carry on

--- e b bortz

(published in Split W*sky, May 2005)