The Meadow Poem by Sidi Mahtrow

Once was a green stretching through
The low lands lying to the west
A lush pasture that Thoreau would have embraced
As fit for man and nature to live side by side

But over years of benign neglect
Invasive species took their toll
Till now all that is seen is soft rush
Mounds of brown swaying in the breeze

No creatures call this their home
As it is a “Barren” place devoid of life
Not even snakes transit amongst the clumps
For there is no subsistence here.

But come the dry season fire could bring life to this place
Except that it is protected and unlikely to burn
So each year the debris of the past
Builds until it is a mat through which nothing can emerge.

Change is in the air
For a renewed vision of the meadow stirs
A place where grasses and flowers grow
And cast a green earthy glow

With the rush cut and the land laid bare
New plants are beginning to send up their heads
To great the sun and with their feet firmly planted
In the peaty soil, draw nutrients from the once dead tangled mass.

Rush needs light to germinate
And while there are countless seeds
Lying dormant there, it is at a disadvantage
For the stronger grass and flower seeds
Larger and more vibrant predominate

The meadow comes to life
As a dark green cast lies over the virgin soil
Soon to be the grass will be
Several feet tall and dense

Then life underneath this spread
Will welcome the meadow to the future
Where it will house a multitude of animals
Now dependent on it for their life.

Rabbits will come to feed and later nest
Sand hill cranes will find this a place to feed
Cow egrets will come to harvest the insects
That live amongst the green.

The other day an egret alone
Found a shadow above
Which was an eagle in pursuit
Seeing the egret as fair game

In panic the egret flew
But the eagle above matched
Each move until it appeared
That the end was nigh

Then the egret flew close to the meadow green
And the eagle dove hopping to dispatch this bird
But the egret could turn more sharply that the eagle
And on the same flight plane the egret had the advantage

And away it flew
The eagle in pursuit
But unable to close
Until finally it soared again on high.

A black snake raced
The tractor through the meadow
Cutting through the grass with ease
Until it tired of the game and was gone

In the dense area
Two sandhill cranes nest
And soon the two eggs with hatch
Bringing forth the next generation

Wild hogs now feed here as once before
Seeking out frogs that hide in the close grass
They seem to understand
That it is not necessary to root in this majic place.

A cow pauses in this protect place
A new calf is dropped and here will stay
Until the mother senses it is time
For her to take the calf away.

Where cattle have cut a minor path
Going from one area to another
A boar possum unhurriedly walks
As it moves from a resting place.

And listen
You shall hear the chirp of frogs
The cricket sounds
And the call of birds that abound.

The meadow is alive
King rush is gone
Not to be restored
A new day is upon us.

s