“Many people do not see us. They walk past us every day and sometimes sit in our shade.
“They eat our fruit, pick our flowers, smell our leaves. People climb us, cut our branches for firewood, pulp us into paper. We are often cut down to make room for houses and sometimes to just improve a view.
“And yet, they do not see us.
“People cut us into timber to make homes, furniture, musical instruments. They write poems and sing songs about us.
“And still, many do not see us.
“People have become disconnected from us, insensitive to us. Many have stopped caring about us.
“We give people clean air to breathe, shade to cool them
down. We provide food and shelter for many animals. We store carbon, soak up
ground water and stop erosion. We help to keep people healthy.
“We are old. We know the past. We have much to give for the future.
“Next time you walk by one of us, pause a moment and listen, we may whisper to you in the wind.”
Paraphrased from the transcript of a talk given by novelist Elif Shafak October 2020.
No comments:
Post a Comment