Tag Archives: nature

by Ethel Mortenson Davis

The ancient peoples
yoked themselves
to the night sky,
studied the moon’s cycles,
the planets,
and solar eclipses.

We, however, at night,
tie ourselves
to the television, computer,
and cell phone,
barely noticing
the daily changes
in temperature,
or lunar phases.

We have cut the cord,
lost our beginnings
and futures—

the time of when to start
spring planting,

the time of the salmon run
up the river,

and the time of calving
of elk and deer.