Poetic Reflections: treedom

This is my twelfth and final poetry column. I shall miss these monthly maunderings. But will my voice be missed? It seems I have developed such a small and furtive following in one year that if I spun about suddenly, I might think I was alone. It’s very sad. Tragic, nearly . . . Fooled ya! This is not the last Poetic Reflections, no matter how unread I may be. (What a relief! I’m glad to hear it. I almost tricked myself.)

In honor of April and Fools, I dedicate this column to the theme of Respect. We need to respect the planet. More specifically — to stop harming the environment, harming animals, harming people. It’s pretty basic if you think about it. What could be easier than not doing something? Just don’t do it! There, it’s already done! Or not done, rather.

Hey, world leaders and terrorists, quit flinging bombs around!

Hey, polluters, halt the madness!

Hey, abusers, think about what you’re doing and don’t do it anymore! It isn’t nice.

Gee, wouldn’t it be dandy if problems could be solved by merely applying logic? What a revolutionary thought. It’s simple yet profound.

Okay, I know it isn’t that easy. At least, everyone says it isn’t that easy. But what if it were? What if we could just say stop?

This is April Fool’s Day, and as a fool I will believe what I darn well please. I would like to believe it’s possible. I’d like to believe that anything’s possible.

So heretoforeafter are some verses about trees. Okay, not just about trees.

Then, like Beethoven’s Fifth, I present a poem in closing that has nothing at all to do with trees but everything to do with children, for April is Child Abuse Prevention And Awareness Month — as well as Earth Month, Week, and Day. (Yes, Earth Hour was in March; I didn’t make the rules!)

I’m afraid you counted right. Five! As if one of my poems isn’t enough to inspire conniptions. I think my ink overfloweth.