nature is open, are we?

nature is open, are we?

Nature Deficit(ˈdefəsət) Disorder(disˈôrdər)

By Henry H. Walker

we are an increasingly(,inˈkrēsiNGlē) urban(ˈərbən) society(səˈsīətē),
following(ˈfälō-iNG) the herd(hərd), the jobs, high culture, the possibilities,
inertia(iˈnərSHə),

we are an increasingly anxious(ˈaNG(k)SHəs) society,
helicoptering(ˈheliˌkäptər) our kids with rules, restrictions(riˈstrikSHən),
while also allowing them the siren(ˈsīrən) call of the screen,

today I took two middle school classes
just outside our building,
we sat near a small creek with a forest(ˈfär-,ˈfôrəst) slipping toward us,
bird calls louder than nearby voices and working tools,

it was hard for the kids to close their eyes,
and to open themselves so that
sounds, smells, tastes(tāst), feelings,
could work upon them,
to let leaves(lēv) and bugs and birds
have their way with them,

some students wrote of waking up,
of seeing and feeling a different world come at them,

one student wrote of being freed from the stress
of performance, of judgment, of having to talk to others,

nature is open, and we can receive(riˈsēv).

https://henryspoetry.blogspot.com/2018/09/nature-is-open-are-we.html