The Hard Saving

  Dedicated to the Conservation Stewards of the Alachua Conservation Trust
by Sidney Wade | About the poet

The sun hums low on the steaming river.
A late light whispers through littering oaks.
The long hours speak in the tongues of birds,
in the slip of leaves to the listening ground.
This earth-sprung language, bright and resonant,
rattles from the throats of the leaving cranes;
it springs from abundant shining waters
as they lunge for distant mangrove shores;
it pours in the dialect of thundering rain
which adds to the fund of the mother tongue,
the source that lies low, transparent and full,
the life-stream, the fundament, the great clear heart.
In full fine words the earth is speaking
to those who listen and care to respond.
But the subtle words are harder to hear
and harder to find and smaller.  It’s late.
Those who listen hear time stutter short,
hear squeals of profit shatter the peace.
The living words say It’s time, it’s time,
Put by the fragile growing treasure.
This saving is hard.  There’s hard labor in thrift.
But those who listen have been resourceful.
Some savings have accumulated and we are richer
for tenacious accounting of the living green.
We still have incomparable deep-voiced springs,
Big river-making and brilliant sources,
Tall grasses still whisper their shining songs,
dark nights are still lit by singing creatures.
Yet we must save more of our oldest reserve,
we must learn to balance trust and power;
we must sing the economy of saving grace,
we must continue that song and not stop saving.

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About this poem:
Eight years ago, poet Sidney Wade provided Alachua Conservation Trust with what has become our inspiration and anthem.  The poem was originally meant to honor recipients of our annual Conservation Stewards recognition; we now read it at every event, and share it with the broader land trust community. For more about the author: www.SidneyWade.com