Eco Or Ego Poem by Suu Casey Young

A tall, regal forest
elegantly modeling
the latest spring collection.
Some bend their heads
in a graceful nod of acknowledgement.
Others - limbs raised
joyously to the sun,
arrogantly demonstrating the inferiority
of those beneath them.
The younger and more supple
become flirtations,
lifting their new skirts,
giving brief, tantalizing
glimpses of their undergrowth.

Few see beyond the opulent presentation
to recognise that this majesty
is built upon dead limbs -
lifeless trunks -
discarded autumn robes.

The colours and textures
mesmerise
as each striking model
shimmers and shakes
before the summer breeze.

Mother Nature has no rival.
World wide her creations are revered.
Fervent worshippers of her mystical beauty
are blinded.
Blinded to her shallowness:
Blinded to her heartlessness:
Blinded to her contempt for mans admiration.



Everyday,
the stature
and arrogance
of her exalted models grow.

Vengefully
she lashes out.
The wind flays them.
Boughs fight to maintain dignity,
verdant gowns lift and twist,
trunks bend
to protect their battered finery.
Limbs agonizingly flail the sky.
With savage finality
lightning strikes.
The now humbled, wretched group,
are seared by their creators wrath,
scorched - stripped -
left
ashen - naked - dying.

Then remorseful,
Mother Nature sheds tears.
In flagellation
she proceeds to plant
and nurture
seeds of creation.
Until, once again she presents
an elegantly adorned forest
in the latest spring collection.