-->My Annual Spring Journey To A Wondrous Wetland,
And The Opening Poem In My Nature-Inspired Book,
Which Won The Poetry Book Category,
In The 2009 Green Book Festival

But So Very Sadly To Me,
Both Redwings and Wetlands
Are Now Both On The Decline


“Earth and sky, woods and fields, lakes, rivers, and wetlands,
The mountains and the sea, are all excellent schoolmasters,
And teach some of us more than we can ever learn from books.”

John Lubbock


I arise before dawn’s early light
And I journey to a favorite place
Here, is where the redwing sings
He brings such a smile to my face

Since my very earliest childhood days
I have been thrilled by the wet and wild
It is here, in the yet, unblemished places
That I always now wish to linger, for awhile

Here is Life, in its very simplest form
Among bird, plant, amphibian, and fish
And Here in the Wetland, they revere water
Here, Water brings such life-sustaining bliss

Here, where the redwing blackbird sings
Here, where the lovely wildflowers thrive
Here, where the frog sings his nightly songs
Here, where earth’s waters are so vibrantly alive

As I perch here, listening to this old wetland breathe
I can envision another lone human here, centuries ago
As he, too, enjoyed this place, where the redwing sings
This place also bringing serenity, to his world-weary soul

Far too many today, in our modern hustle and bustle world
Have sadly lost this connection with Earth’s life-giving things
In the last 50 years, we have destroyed half of Earth’s wetlands
This horrendous fact, a deep sorrow to my heart and soul brings

Today’s modern children, have to somehow Re-connect with Nature
Or, in the next 50 years, our planet’s wondrous wetlands, will be gone
Please teach your own children about the life-giving Wonders of Nature
Take them to a wetland, and have them listen, to a redwing’s ancient song

©Spring Journey 2016, Mr. Ed