Little Things We Can Do
Why do we care?
First you learn to see it
The ignorant litter creeping into
Our picture of enjoying the outdoors
How does it get there?
Careless tossers
Multiply mindless consumption and waste
Garbage in garbage out
Harming life of all kinds
There is an antidote to anger
Direct your energy to collecting
Slow your gaze to see
Little things we can do
Pick a spot
Everything that doesn’t belong
Things of our making, broken and finished
Prepare to gather them
To be handled with care
Picture the landscape without debris
Unhurt by our waste
Belonging once more
to the living things
to the soil dwellers and foragers
to the little ones and bare toes
Wildlife less tempted
To feed on our throwaways
Water untainted, natural and free
All growing life nurtured once again
Able to thrive
Without our junk
Kim Barnard
Shawnigan Lake
Dedicated with Gratitude to our Litter Heroes and Sponsors of
#TLCShawnigan2021 #CleanCowichan2021