Against The Grain

Epigraph

I want to sleep

and dream the life of trees, beings

from the muted world who care

nothing for Money, Politics, Power,

Will or Right, who want little from the night

but a few dead stars going dim, a white owl

lifting from their limbs, who want only

to sink their roots into the wet ground

and terrify the worms or shake

their bleary heads like fashion models

or old hippies. If trees could speak,

they wouldn"t, only hum some low

green note, roll their pinecones

down the empty streets and blame it,

with a shrug, on the cold wind.

—Dorianne Laux, “The Life of Trees”

One day, as the three young Aesir walked along the seashore, their eyes fell upon two little trees, an ash and an alder standing side by side. In these two trees they saw the makings of [human]kind—straight as gods and tough as wood.”

—Ingri and Edgar Parin d’Aulaire

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it"s the only thing that ever has.

—Margaret Mead