Globus Hystericus — The Agonist

What says the tree to his friends the rocks? When he lives and breathes and they sit and mock And he grows strong for centuries long But finally dies and begins to rot

'We will last intact this way! And you my friend will soon decay' 'But i can breathe - am commensal; the shade, the fruits, the nests on bough And if, with this, my time finite I'm glad to have spent it doing right' But rocks prefer to simply sit To win none, lose none, just exist

But nary should an ocean rise, They'd become sand and dissapear with the tides When trees ignite a cyclical life From plant to animal to Earth and back; Whom, even when their roots are plowed Have left exponential impact

Steel, concrete, technology (etc) May stand intact for centuries I say with actions... But faced with wind, flood or quake Like toys will crumble, bend and break ... what you do with words

And so the greedy human kind To conquer trees tall, mountains high Erects gigantic splinters of steel That shame forests, make mountains kneel

And progress spreads like moss on stone Evolution dictates that men are prone To outdo those that came before 'You see? We'll last forever more!'

We improve what nature made We'll challenge mountains, transplant lakes There is no confirmed master plan We do it just because we can

But foolish is the one who Complacently thinks himself King Because when time erodes the past What remains are nature's things Quite Shakespearean duals Those between parent and offspring are! As Chronos devours his Son Gaia to Mankind so starts

Steel, concrete, technology (etc) May stand intact for centuries I say with actions... But faced with wind, flood or quake Like toys will crumble, bend and break ... what you do with words

We won't outlive our generation, But our impact surely will This - the Rocks' humilitation When they witness we are still Alive in what we've left for others Like Nature gives, so selflessly So pay respect to our true Mother And take your rank amongst the trees