Poplar trees make a racket
Waxy leaves clattering together
Disturbed by a summer breeze
My reverie is broken
Crows gab gaily
Audacious in their bold cacophony of dialects
Seagulls sing and bleat, calling, warning,
Protecting the downy fluff of their young from the eagle’s talon
And keen eye
Quietly the bumble bee rhythmically hums and circles the space
Behind my head, I know its tune
Distinct from hummingbird in beauty
Vibration, purpose, and post
Noticing – my only chore
I do not have to caw and peck to earn my morning meal
The hummingbird beats its wings a million times
Just to stay in flight
Noticing – my only chore
So why the common ignorance
Many are the casual shrugs
The beer cans left on pristine beach
Water soiled with carless ease
Air polluted, damaged earth
Burning down our neighbor’s house
Spoiling water with our oil
Trusting us, fish and bird and creature all
Soaring, swimming, browse and sing
Never dropping a bomb for our attack
Never raising guns to hold us back
Only peaceful resistance, a steady hold
Insisting on their truth,
Belonging where they are
A look, a swoop, a graceful dip
My silence stings, cuts deep the skin
This fragile membrane of life
Silence kills, I must speak up
Lest some day, this will not be
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