let us look together

sort through the hurt, the shame

the grief, the understandable rage

with curious eyes and compassionate

hearts

 

let us not judge the damage we find

left from the path of cyclones past

where survival was all that mattered

and the mind is still too tired to tidy up

 

let us show understanding to the parts

that are doing their very best

although they may have become too  

used to their methods and mechanisms

to suss out a different way

and are currently problematic

 

we’re not here machete in hand, hacking

through undergrowth indiscriminate.

no, we are here to tip-i-toe whisper-soft

observing only, while the wildlife grows

accustomed to our presence

 

then and only then, will we engage

and consider ways to support the

ecosystem’s change.

 

heather pound 2024

Photo by Melissa Askew on Unsplash