Buddy with “tree”
January 12, 2008
leave that tree alone
January 12, 2008
Tonight Buddy and I roamed the streets of our town. He is an Airedale terrier and loves to be vigilant. Unfortunately his eyesight is not keen and he will often mistake something like a fire hydrant for a possible attacker.
Along our route were many discarded Christmas trees abandoned at curbside. Perceiving them as critters, Buddy would pitch forward on the leash at each sighting. It made these sad encounters refreshingly comical.
I could not help but reflect on all the resources we put into these trees: the time, land, labor, fertilizer, pesticide, herbicide, shipping, selling, buying, decorating, stripping, tossing, and disposing. Over 100 million of these trees are harvested worldwide each year. It seems a waste.
dying for Christmas version 1
December 5, 2007
The tree we cut
and carried
into our home
the one
we shackled
trimmed
sang to
and toasted
(rip a suckling child
from its mother)
(put makeup on a statue)
(be happy at a rape)
now lies on
its side
in the gutter
alone
with hooks
and tinsel
blowing in the wind
dying for Christmas
January 20, 2007
The tree we cut
and carried
into our home
the one
we shackled
trimmed
sang to
and toasted
(rip a suckling child
from its mother)
(put makeup on a statue)
(be happy at a rape)
now lies on
its side
alone
with her hooks
and tinsel
riffling in the wind
qazse 