Thursday 20 September 2012

"Trees"



_______






I love wood
I love the touch
And the smell of it
I love the textures
All different

From the long grained
Knotless Piranha Pine
To the dense wriggles
Of Ancient Yew
Long fibred Sitka
And the silica sparks
Of Bloodwood Satine

The midnight shine
Of Andaman Ebony
The visual delights
Of all the Rosewoods
To the perfume of
The sugars boiling off
Turning apple.

I love it fresh from sharp steel
With a shine all of its own
Or sanded by finer and finer paper
Or emery, wet and dry
Until the surface glows
Like warm glass.

I love the things
You can make
Books
And bookcases
To keep them on.

Plates bowls spoons vases
Cups chopsticks
Rollers for mangles
Wheels to carry your loads
And carts to carry your families
And beds for you all to sleep on.

Handles for tools
Elm water pipes
That last from Roman times
To the present day.

Wooden boats to sail the sea
And bring back more wood
Exciting and exotic woods
That smell like spices!

But most of all
I love the trees!
We have taken enough
From the forest!
If we are not willing
To nurture the seedlings
Clear the weeds
Dig the soil
And cherish the saplings
Then leave the trees alone!

So take your axe and chainsaw
And beat them into
Trowels and
Straight Planting Spades.

If you wish to use the bounty
Of the forest
First plant your trees
And sometimes, during your labours
Rest in the shade of your trees
And in these days of Global Warming
You will llearn how trees
Cool the air!

Learn the secrets of the woods
And jungles
Learn to love them
Before you claim the right
To use them!

And you, human?
In your suit and white cuffs
Hiding behind the tree
You have no business
In the woods
Take off your choking ties
Your manufacture
Your profit and loss
Your futures trading
Away!
Off the Tree!
You have no business here!

Leave the trees to breathe
Let them get on with the business
Of making more trees
Manufacturing topsoil
Stabilising mountainsides
Fixing nitrogen from the air
Into the soil around their roots.

Holding rainfall in the ground
To feed the forest and the streams
That all Earths' Children may drink
Without flood or erosion.

Leave the trees to breathe
To filter dust and gasses
From the air
So that our children and grandchildren
May also breathe.
Leave the trees to heal
The damage that you, human
Have done!

BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE!

Bonzo and Lobo at the entrance of my old woodland
Wooden Bowl made by me containing approx 500 separate pieces of wood

Copyright © Res JFB 30th June 2010

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