Stakeholders of Commons

perhaps it is time we placed value on the things we care most about?

Perhaps

   it is time

we try

 a different

       approach.

 

If a fresh breeze,

    and thrush song,

 farmfields in frost

          water running

    trout pools

  riversides with rope swings

photography lessons

      small dairies

    children's skate parks

  seashore roses

   stargazing on dark nights

old men playing checkers

  hemlock trees

        moms gardening on weekends

[with daughters]

     backyard chickens

             babysitting classes

school lunches

       live poetry readings

  and healthy babies

      are what we care about-

 

then why not-

  write a letter

stand up in church

      address a neighbor

  invite the super for lunch

          go to town meetings

 draft a grant

            visit a classroom

  publish a poem

          crunch some numbers

   make a spreadsheet

storm their offices

   influence policy

           cook a meal

and shout from the rooftops:

 

B******s!

    Because it has value to me,

              it is partly mine

and

  YOU

      never asked ME

   before

you

   took

     it

away

    with

 hidden clauses

   in sealed documents

dealing with

     upper class land rights

    and greasy

zoning bribes.

 

  And if you tell me

we must sacrifice

             for progress

I need to know

          what that progress

      looks like

and I may just tell you

         that a place

   where both

       are not valued

and treasured

        and made possible

is simply

    not

     a feasible

        option.

 

It may be YOUR business,

      but it is

        MY home

and I want my children

      to play outdoors

            with birdsong and flowers.

 

 

 

  

     

 

Author's Note

something different for me

we lament the slow loss of things to fragmentation, sprawl, mismanagement of resources, lack of foresight and lanning; but we seldom realize we have rights as owners fo the things we care about, and if we don't care, no-one will. Why not demand answers of developers, land-use planners, environmental agencies, city halls, and planning boards?

Reviews

[arbitrary jane]

absolutely.
and half of it is taking the time to see a little way down the line. what will happen if this measure is passed? how will it affect the things that are important - not just to me, perhaps, but to the world. to humanity. and am i ok with that.

thoreau said most men live lives of quiet desperation... but i dont think that's true anymore. i think most men these days (and by men, you know... everyone) aren't even aware of their desperation. most men live lives of not-so-quiet selfish gratification.
a timely wake up call.

[zig]

very well said.

a long time ago, me and a friend were watching the news, violence in the gaza strip, a bunch of men standing on piles of rubble shooting guns in the air, and she asked me "why are they so angry", and the best reply i could think of at the time was "maybe because theyre tired of living in rubble". kind of as a general rule, whenever you see an "uprising" somewhere in the world, its usually the result of a lot of "downkeeping". perhaps my view of this, and situations like palistine, is skewed by the fact that im native american, and my mother, who was a willing participant in the terrorist acts of AIM on wounded knee back in the 70s (even in her small ways), influinced my world view. i guess my point is, speak up while you can, when they are still those who will listen, because when moderation fails, things get ugly... and angry

[HoorayForUnderdog]

So true, so true. Nice formatting with your poem as well -- it illustrates the fragmentation we often feel -- also it sort of makes me think of someone running in a zig-zag pattern in order to dodge bullets as the bad policy makers take aim.

[Christy Sargent]

I just am amazed at this beautiful paintng of words that you have so wonderully written across the page. It is all truth. It is not too late either. We can stil take owernship. I love your lines and choice of words. The last three lines are so very nice to envision Marie. Thank you for writing this terribly lovely piece. C.

[therisa]

Your poem points out the simple things, in life which for too long we have taken for granted and did nothing, when they started to disappear from us. Of people forced to live below the poverty line, because they are only numbers to the bureacratic system which operates on restrictive red tape. In my own apartment building, there are numerous people, whom I help on a weekly basis, because their welfare cheques don't cover the bare neccesity of life. And they call this a progressive society. Can only shake my head and wonder what the world would look like if, proper attention was paid to all parts of our world, and not just special issue groups.

[An owl on the moon]

You dance across the balance of beauty and bureaucracy so very well... We see what is at stake in our world.. what is of deepest value.. our treasure... and we see what conspires against us... Then you inspire us to rise up as a voice to make sure the Earth's music will be sung by generations to come. May it be so!

[Poetic Beauty]

This is about taking our rights back. About regaining our freedoms that are slowly being stolen from us without us even knowing. The flow of this poem is smooth and the topic is one in which we should pay close attention to.