CARING TO KINDLE*

So much is disappearing

from this world:

the condor, the ice-caps, 

the honey bees.

Let’s not erase 

anything else, please —

especially from the minds 

and mouths of our children.

Let’s not replace 

acorn and beech,

newt, otter, and willow

in their miniature dictionaries

with words like 

blog, chatroom, and voicemail. 

As long as future generations

can sound out

lark, mistletoe 

or nectar and know 

what they are invoking,

we will continue to kindle

our connection with 

the land, the sea, 

and the symphonies swelling 

in the ever expanding cosmos.

When we remember

the rhythm and susurrations 

of the swift 

and the swallowtail,

and even the whisper 

of a breeze through lichen

by simply saying 

their names plainly,

we reclaim the song 

of our souls also

and live them as hymns 

sung out loud.

*Inspired by Francis Weller’s essay, 

Approaching Geologic Speed