We celebrated by
Cleaning the mess
Our brethren had made,
Trash strewn like confetti
Across a natural landscape,
Remnants of human interaction
With a place meant to house
And nurture-
Polluted by those in their care,
A species set on
Biting the hand that feeds
With little care or responsibility
For the result of their mis-use-
A single day marked on the calendar
In observance of Mother Earth
Who dedicates each moment
To those bleeding her of nutrients
And depleting the life
She meant to share
With all who walk upon her-
A single day meant to repair
The damage created over
Centuries of angst-
A single day meant to repair
The war we have raged
Upon our own Homefront.
We smile and observe
Staring at trees blooming
And flowers reaching,
Struggling through the trash
Thrown by passerby
Who never take the time
To rectify the ruins they made.
Katrina Thornley is a nature poet. novelist, and freelance journalist that resides in Rhode Island. She has two poetry collections currently published, a novel, as well as a short story anthology. Her poetry collections "Arcadians: Lullaby in Nature" and "Arcadians: Wooden Mystics" were inspired by a local park and life in her small rural town. You can find them on Amazon now!
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About the Creator
Katrina Thornley
Rhode Island based author and poetess with a love for nature and the written word. Works currently available include Arcadians: Lullaby in Nature, Arcadians: Wooden Mystics, 26 Brentwood Avenue & Other Tales, and Kings of Millburrow.
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Miniature Mind Musings #8:
Recently, I spoke with a family member who I struggled to catch up with for a longer timespan than I would’ve liked and what struck me was how societal templates filled in on successive days routinely suck our time into a vacuum of seemingly infernal deficiency.
By The Dani Writer5 days ago in Longevity
Comments (3)
Yeeeeeeeeessssss, Katrina, YES. WOW. Your return to "A single day meant to repair" .. the repetition here is so powerful. Really drives home the madness of the idea that 1/365th of the year can address this issue. Every 🌏 Day 🌍 Is 🌎 Earth Day 💚 Thank you for writing this.
That was quite deep.
Wistfully tragic. You paint an image which reminds me of the old PSA back in the 70s(?) of the Native American (which the actor apparently was not), staring out over a vast land fill strewn with garbage. As he stares, a tear begins to trace its way down his cheek. Yes, they should have used an indigenous actor. But I still thought it was a powerful PSA. As is your poem.