For warmth on the trail
use both hands and gather
a basketful of sky.
To converse with the natives,
learn Tree,
become fluent in River.
Staying alive is necessary
but insufficient.
Get lost
as often
as necessary.
When asked,
give directions
on how to break open
like a rainstorm
how to break open
like a pinecone
after a wildfire.
—
Joe Lamb, founder of the Borneo Project, is a writer, activist, and arborist living in Berkeley, California. His poetry and essays have appeared in Earth Island Journal, The Sun, Caliban, Wind, Orion, Nostos, and other magazines. His work is also included in the anthologies The Rag and Bone Shop of the Heart: A Poetry Anthology (Robert Bly et al editors), and Veterans of War/Veterans of Peace (Maxine Hong Kingston, editor).
