Leave No Trace?

Against "Leave No Trace" Liturgy (Aug. 2012)

Leave only footprints?

Take only pictures?

 

Leave my weathered bones

Baking in the sun.

 

Leave my flesh to vultures

The blood to rivers run.

 

Leave my fire's ashes

To grow new cottonwoods.

 

Leave my clothing rotting

At the base of a berry bush.

 

Leave my tears and sorrows

To the spirits of the wind.

 

Leave my joy and laughter

Echoing in canyons.

 

Leave my dreams and visions

Growing in the trees.

 

Leave those that I love

In the flesh that I eat.

 

But take?

 

Take the earth into my soul

The streams into my ears.

 

Take the pinecones into my shelter

Their guidance through winter

 

Take the deer and elk

Fur and flesh to fashion life.

 

Take the roots and berries

Fruit and fiber of delight.

 

Take the songs of sparrows

The friendship of ravens.

 

Take away the fear of living

Leave the culture of destruction.

Reviews

[Sioranth Smith]

"Grave" is like the short and sweet version of this poem. I like them both but the visual imagery in this piece is powerful and moving. It leaves a person really aching for our most natural sources/resources. My personal (soapbox) opinion is that "leave no trace" is one way of keeping all the disconnected Americans from destroying everything they touch. Many have lost the respect needed to treat nature kindly and so we are treated like children to keep from ruining it. That being said, I'm an avid hobby photographer and spending hours wandering around the woods listening and looking for beautiful shots connects me more than just the hiking or mountain biking I do. I think there's a difference between "vacation pics" and photography though. Putting my soapbox away now! Really beautiful poem. Thanks for sharing it!

[kris reed]

I do agree that it's a policy that treats adults as children (maybe justly so, but I always wonder which comes first: behaving like children or being treated like children, hmm...) I do agree with your thoughts though. I teach and practice primitive living skills (handrill fires, basketry, hide tanning, foraging and such) as part of my lifestyle; this strongly conflicts with "Leave No Trace" philosophy and thus this poem. Thanks for reading and then sharing your thoughts!

[Joe Palmer]

Wow, like this a lot. Can totally relate to the ethos behind this poem, ... I think. Great read!

[kris reed]

Hey Joe, thanks for taking a look. In the USA everyone backs the wilderness ethic of "Leave No Trace" camping who's motto is "Leave only footsteps, take only pictures." To my mind this fractures our connection with life/nature and does the opposite of its intention, turning nature into nothing more than an abstract thought, a picture. Thinking of life as a commodity is hard to do unless it's nothing more than a picture hanging on the wall. Pictures are easy to toss aside, friends and family not so much. And thus I wrote this in the belief that we need more connection, not less.

[Jeni Reed]

I wouldn't have thought of it like that had you not listed it out. Thank you for investigating a phrase that most won't look further into