Leave No Trace

The roads are young  
Next to old mines
Their abandoned tools
Rust under partial skies
Between pine, cedar
& fiddlehead fern
Scattered as remembrances
Remnants, filtered, fill
A monochrome story
The history of desire

We take pics
Searching, digging
For images & stories
Miners with phones
Manufactured from extractions
By otherness who unearthed the
Silica, Cobalt, & Lithium
To preserve the likeness
Of the barn that leans
Of the old growth
Of the green gems of water
Its opal pools
Repurposed

A group of teenagers
Run around the wilderness
Sit under a coniferous
Writing poems with emojis
Acronyms and abbreviations
While an app wants to know
Name
License plate number
Car model
How many in the party?
Reason for your visit
Peep. Click on image to enlarge.

10 responses to “Leave No Trace”

  1. judewilhelmsen Avatar
    judewilhelmsen

    Dig the poem, LOVE the photo.

    did you shoot it? Is it a single in-camera frame or is there some layering happening?

    Much story, so excite.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Ahzio Avatar
      Ahzio

      Yes, it’s a photo I took. There’s no layering. It’s a wall used at an animal nature preserve that people can stand behind so they don’t spook the animals. (birds).

      Like

  2. Ezekiel Fish Avatar
    Ezekiel Fish

    It sounds like the perfect retreat!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Ahzio Avatar
      Ahzio

      Yes, perfection in a ‘manner’ of speaking.

      Liked by 1 person

  3. Jeanne Avatar
    Jeanne

    Great imagery. I especially like the first ten lines which could be a complete poem on its own — ethereal, leaving so much to the readers imagination.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Ahzio Avatar
      Ahzio

      Thanks so much Jeanne.

      Like

  4. jainaparna0220 Avatar
    jainaparna0220

    Superb!

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Ahzio Avatar
      Ahzio

      Thanks!

      Like

  5. lisaapaul Avatar
    lisaapaul

    I am guilty of this. People don’t think about the price the earth pays, an earth we say we revere and one whose beauty we write about, to give us what we want. We definitely don’t stay behind a wall and look.

    Liked by 3 people

    1. Ahzio Avatar
      Ahzio

      I think we are all guilty of this Lisa. You realize that the material that is used to make phones is mined elsewhere, outsourced. It’s like as long as we don’t see the destruction and the toll on the humans who are mining the materials it doesn’t exist. Thus the juxtaposition of the old discontinued mining operation (which is actually a real place, “Jawbone Flats”). Opal Creek, where Jawbone Flats is located is an area of a famous event decades ago of saving old growth trees from being harvested. I find this ironic. Thanks for being such a thoughtful reader! Take care!

      Liked by 1 person

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