A Poem for Crown Hill
INPAWS member Sarah Gray submitted this poem in hopes that others will express what they feel in support of the natural world.
Let the Trees Stand for those that have Fallen
The battle for the North Woods at Crown Hill is not quite lost
Like generals in war, with a stroke of a pen, they have decided the fate of our trees
“Let us honor the dead by cutting down the living”
These trees have stood while soldiers have fought and died, in many battles far from home, in foreign lands.
They stand as living witnesses to those who have fallen so long ago that generations of families no longer remember them
We have buried the fallen, returned them to the earth, they live on as part of the cycle of life
They are part of these trees
It is not for the dead that you build this columbarium, for they are dead, they have moved on
It is for those that are still living, in remembrance of a name, a face, a love, a life
In these woods the peace and beauty of nature soothes our sadness
These old trees are a reminder of the continuance of life, a reminder that these soldiers died for the living, for future generations, for our children
So, we beseech you, the person behind a desk, in an office somewhere in the DVA
Please build your columbarium of concrete and steel elsewhere and leave these woods as a living memoriam
Do not cut down the living to honor the dead
Let the trees stand for those that have fallen