The Forest of Generations

For Professor Shea’s Class On Cultural Globalization “The Forest of Generations” The forest of generations Each tree with a tale to tell Upon the rings of their foundations Where each history dwells Tress of new and trees of old Wear leaves like feathers To display their colors in bold A culture’s greatest treasures Peaceful lives preserved Fallen seeds writing new histories Until the process was disturbed By unexpected deliveries A new species brought aboard And spread among the trees Where years’ traditions are stored We’ll replace them with these: That eat away at the leaves Like a caterpillar without a cycle These cultural thieves Stole by their arrival Although free of evil Just a species displaced A threat to the people When their culture’s defaced As they die away Their colors become one A global shift underway Their histories undone For every leaf that falls A culture’s dead and gone Hearing the distant calls As we approach the dawn