Alien Nation
I used to love the trees, the way
they stood there, patiently,
through all four seasons,
bending to the will
of weather and wind.
I planted many of them,
cultivated them,
watched them flourish,
treated them as siblings,
stood beneath their branches,
my back against a trunk,
their life force flowing
through me, renewing me,
as leaf-filtered sunlight
freckled hands and face
and danced in my heart.
Now, I fear them.
People have treated them
so badly, polluting water and air.
I fear their darkness,
their slow-burning anger,
their dryness, the ways
in which they gather,
shutting out the sunlight,
whispering dark secrets,
plotting to destroy us.
I fear the fire they have stored
in root and branch, a fire
that may one day come
to burn us out and leave
the land for their offspring.
rogermoorepoet 