The Cycle

THE CYCLE

He came when the air was warm
and the earth was soft and receptive.
(He had consulted the stars
and they said it was a good time).
So he came with hope, courage and equipment
to build a new life.

He needed shelter, thus (with the stars’ permission)
he violated the forest,
taking only the trees he needed,
leaving low cut stumps
and he made a sturdy log home.

He suggested to the stars that he live off of the land
and they agreed.
So he set animal traps and fished the crystal streams,
but only when he was hungry.
Later, he cleaned up the area
and dumped the small amount of trash
into the nearby stream
to ensure no bad odors were around his home.

He yearned for someone
with whom to share his future,
the beauty of the land,
the star filled skies
and the lonely nights.
He met her walking in the forest.
She had traveled away from the crowded city
to see the fields and forests and to hear the birds singing.

They were married (though the stars
were jealously hesitant with approval)
when the sun burned hot,
when seeds floated and bounced
in dives and swoops and little loops.

She enjoyed the peaceful surroundings
and kept the area very clean,
always dumping the trash into the stream,
which was beginning to smell.

Their garden produced large, luscious vegetables
and she busied herself with canning.
She occasionally helped check the traps,
and he reset them, for she wasn’t strong enough.

They fished the stream,
which wasn’t crystal clear anymore,
and it seemed that fewer fish were present.
But for now, they had shelter, food and each other,
so they rested easily.

He continued cutting trees for firewood daily,
and often left many jagged stumps
(regardless of the star’s opinion)
standing like headstones
in the presence of a declining forest.

He noticed that the birds had left
and thought they may have migrated for the winter.
But he also thought that perhaps
it was because he made too much noise
and nesting sites were disappearing.

They decided to have a party
to share their happiness
and to celebrate with the friends they missed.

There would be many people and much hunger,
so he emptied and reset his traps
and fished the stream daily
though the polluted water was home to far less fish.

The party was held (against the stars’ advice)
when the few remaining trees were bare
and the wind was chillingly crisp.
Everyone enjoyed the open freedom,
though they were disappointed
at the sight of the forest,
which was no longer beautiful
and the stream had an unpleasant odor.
They huddled around the fire,
shifting and moving to avoid the smoke,
coughing and trying to stay warm.

The friends were glad to see each.
They were away from the noise of the city,
which made everyone happy,
so they all rested comfortably.

Both of them cleaned up after the party,
carrying all the trash
and leftover food to the stream,
which was by now unsuited for fish.
She didn’t like to walk through the area anymore
because the surroundings
Looked like a cemetery.
When snow began to fall,
she imagined the stumps as ghostly forms,
haunting reminders of lives sacrificed
for Man’s comfort and pleasure.

She went out one day for a walk
in the snowbound remains of the forest
and wondered why progress treated nature so cruelly.

In her concentration, she paid little attention
to the funeral quiet stillness or the traps,
waiting to capture prey.

She suddenly felt intense pain
and the deep bed of snow thoroughly chilled her.
Too weak to remove the trap, she began to crawl home,
leaving a bright trail which quickly solidified
and seemed to restrain her.

She lost her sense of direction in the sea of white
and the stumps, piled high with snow, stood guard over her.
She died, unable to pull herself
out of the graveyard of trees.

Greatly saddened, he cried deeply and buried her there.
He reasoned that she had come to find the forest
and perhaps her spirit would be happy here now.
He asked the stars what he had done wrong,
though in his heart he knew the answer
and they didn’t respond.

Life was empty without her
and the loss got worse each day.
That made him very unhappy
and he couldn’t rest.

He left when the air was warm
and the earth was soft and receptive.
The melting snow cleared the stream
and the traps, free of ice, snapped shut.
Sprouts shot up in the moist earth around the stumps,
grasses grew up around the house and equipment,
birds returned from the south singing excitedly
and the forest began rebuilding itself.

© ’71, 2006 Karl Arthur King