let the green earth overtake the pavement
paralyze highways still lined with cars
those totems of petroleum-fueled religion
let plants’ roots grow up and over skyscrapers
drag stone from stone and break glass
let vines obscure airports and train stations
fill mines and factories with flowers and pine cones
darken the windows of power plants
spread fungal connections farther and wider
free water to flow where it will
let unharvested trees grow old and tall
let fish flourish as whales sing the end of nets
bring all commerce to a standstill
so that we can silently
ponder what we are doing
what we have done
—
Carol Mikoda is the author of two chapbooks, most recently Wind and Water, Leaf and Lake (Finishing Line Press, 2023). Her work appears in Acta Victoriana, Tiferet, and other journals. She lives near Seneca Lake in New York State and has strong attachments to clouds, trees, water, and music.
