Ecological Grief

 Ecological Grief


It’s when you think into the future

and realize there’s no knowing

how long we’ll be able to live here.


It’s seeing your young grandchildren,

bright and beautiful human beings,

on whose shoulders lie the coming burdens.


It’s watching the ravages of war

and knowing that not only humans,

but also ecosystems are being destroyed. 


It’s the sorrow of understanding

that our species has caused this mess

and yet so many of us do not care.


It’s the love of the earth, the living world, 

home for us and all our relatives,

and the huge loss we feel as it slowly dies.


Let my own ecological grieving

propel me into the domain of hope,

refusing to give up, bending my efforts

toward healing, toward positive change.

 

NF 10/25/22

Comments

  1. AnonymousOctober 25, 2022 at 6:36 PM

    I feel very much the sense of being at a turning point, in my own life, but in the life of our ecosystem, our future as humans whose lives were imprinted with the will and the belief that we could preserve the world’s gifts and goodness for our children and their children. This year I feel less sure and more anxious. My earth sisters and brothers need something to give us hope.

    ReplyDelete
  2. JoAnn HodshonOctober 25, 2022 at 7:02 PM

    Thank you for sharing—your poetic gift is timely and perhaps will “light a fire” . . .stir up some action. .. .

    ReplyDelete
  3. Prairie HillOctober 26, 2022 at 4:26 AM

    I'm so grateful you attended this conference. I hope we will gather to ponder and deal with this ecological grief. It reminds me of Deep Adaptation, which offers Four R's: Resilience – What values and behaviors do you want to keep in our culture and your daily life?
    Relinquishment – What values and behaviors are you ready to let go of?
    Restoration – What are the values and behaviors that you used to have in your culture or another culture that you’d like to adopt?
    Reconciliation – With whom do you want to make peace while you can?

    ReplyDelete
  4. MargaretOctober 26, 2022 at 7:26 AM

    so well put--my angst is high and trying to find hope---but unable to

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousOctober 26, 2022 at 4:21 PM

    Thank you so much, Nan.

    ReplyDelete

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