poem by Wendy Jean MacLean accompanying artwork by Oneta Cole
"In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous branch to spring up for David."
- Jeremiah 33:15
Branches torn from ancient trees
reproach the rutted logging roads
with a clear view
of an angry sky.
The forests are desolate and deserted.
Beech and larch and redwood
have been sent to Babylon.
The canopy has been shredded
and the tabernacle sold, empty now
of scrolls and bark
and only stumps are left
to chant.
Each ring holds the history
and the primeval prayers
of the old-growth forest.
Sprouting from the desolation
of these stumps
outrageous suckers persist
in drawing energy from the roots
into a new covenant.
The sacred wisdom of the earth
is relentless in longing
for the righteousness
and consolation
of the integrity of Creation.
When we are restored
to a new relationship
with all life,
we will hear the singing
and see the dancing
of slug and sapling
on the forest floor
as they teach us
scripture.