Making a Choice

As Rachel Carson warned us in her book on “Silent Spring” We’re killing off inhabitants of Nature’s neighborhood. The butterflies are vanishing and also birds that sing. The poisons we have scattered are in their and our own food. We must accept responsibility for damages we’ve done, And change to Nature’s remedies for raising crops and flowers If we want to see our children chasing butterflies for fun, Without fearing for their safety during summer’s carefree hours. I have seen my daddy long ago, pull carrots from the ground And after brushing off loose dirt, he’d eat it to the tail. That was of course before we poisoned everything around To keep fruits bite-free and shiny, when offering for sale. I would rather have an apple from my own, old unsprayed tree Knowing that it’s not been poisoned, just to keep it insect free. For Brian's 1 to 14 line contest