On Wilderness
Poem by Wilderness Ranger Neil Vaidya
And they said, speak to us of wilderness!
And it was answered:
When the day turns to night
And autumn to winter
The weathered mammal slows down and reflects.
Reflection helps them acknowledge their truth.
And within that truth lies their purpose.
For what is a life lived if not lived to its purpose?
And what is a life if not an acknowledgement of creation’s own creation?
The scent of the sweet birch tree.
The dazzling colors of the sunset.
The ambient songs of the wind.
The gaze of a lover.
Friendship.
Laughter.
The gift of fruit.
The sharing of time and space, the most sacred of exchanges.
Life is not but a thing, but all these things.
And it is the trees that showed us first that there is nowhere to be but here, now.
It is the mountains that showed us that our whole perspective will shift should we just stand a little taller.
And it is the wind that taught us to not be afraid to use our voice.
And it is to each other, that we have proven the catharsis of service.
Gentle mammal, with your talons grasping the glass before your eyes.
Let the wilderness take you.
Let time guide you to your truth.
For when wilderness is cared for, we are cared for.
And no simpler truth can exist so long as we live.
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