Decades ago I owned a boat. No one knew that because it was one of my secret places to just be. (I had other activities that was about me, but I never told a soul about them either). My boat was of wood, and she was 16 foot long. I hid Her in the swamps. She was my safe place.
Some days I would get down to Her and cast off into the Gulf. I’d anchor and just have my lunch, read my books and be rocked to sleep by her gentle movements with the waves. The birds landing on Her made Life very interesting. One day I had 3 pelicans sitting on the side… They liked my French bread and left before they swamped me. And I fell asleep with the rocking of the boat.
I’d fish and then let them go. I just wanted to be a part of the ecosystem. I needed to feel as a part of the Whole that folks down here lived with. Me and my boat rocking on the waves.
I can’t do that anymore. I wish to have a 16 foot schooner to sail again, but how can I sail the lake and the Gulf knowing what BP did? Will I be able to smell the waters? Can I sleep rocking on oil-infested waters?
Can I rest knowing what has happened? Will the birds come to my little boat and see me as an ally or the enemy?
We have known since the 70′s of the dangers that our current culture presented. Many of us warned about the possibilities. We have told you what must be done.
You didn’t listen, and I can’t sleep in my little boat anymore.