The Philosophy of Voles

….gardening time is approaching...

The Philosophy of Voles

 

 

While I was pulling weeds

in the garden,

I noticed a few small holes

around the parameter;

Voles.

Small, frail creatures

roaming underground,

eating roots and bugs,

there, but hardly ever seen.

Makes me wonder

how much more we miss,

even with our eyes wide;

what goes on around us,

that touches,

effects our lives,

yet we take no notice

until we are slapped in the face

with reality,

and the world around us.

 

They tell us,

‘stop, smell the roses.’

But it’s deeper than this

I think;

we have been trained

in many ways,

to see the world around us

very narrowly;

with the blinders

of self, self- reflection,

‘what’s in it for me?’

Kinda sucks doesn’t it,

when the world around us

burns with potential extinction

and we can only see

small steps,

putting our fingers in holes,

as the damn is about to break,

flooding everything.

 

I guess another saying

must be true,

‘ignorance is bliss’.

 

Let the flooding begin!

 

Aztec Warrior/redzone 9.8.18 

"How can we dance when the earth is burning?

How can we sleep when our beds are burning?"

---- Midnight Oil, "Beds Are Burning"

Author's Note

....thanks for reading....

Reviews

[kentuck14]

Red,
I love it! The philosophy of Voles . . . those sharp-nosed blind workers of the earth. Great meditation on our present culture, Red. Love your line about smelling the roses, but realizing the important things go much deeper and are not quite so obvious . . . unless you dig like the vole. Great metaphor! Thanks for sharing.
Tom

[Lydia Shutter]

Indeed, we do miss a lot of the world because all of us see the world through eyes that are partially closed. We always have a lot on our minds....always are thinking of that next thing we have to do or get or say. If only we would notice it all...but it might be over stimulation I think. I can tell spring has sprung and you are channeling your inner Mr. Green Jeans! :) As always, your altruism comes through. This one is very "nice" my friend. Lydi**

[barleygirl]

This is so "YOU" in the gardening genre. I'm an animal lover, but only when I'm not inconvenienced (typical hypocrite). My contribution to being a better human is that I do all my gardening above-ground so I won't have to kill the plentiful gophers that abound in the country. But there are other rodents (squirrels) who get no respect from me, as they destroy my garden & erode the cliff I live on. Despite my hardcore approach, it delights me no end to read you & be reminded of how I really wish I could also be, in the compassion department *wink! wink!* This is a great tapestry of springtime observations like only YOU see in your special ways! Have fun gardening! I just planted 25 strawberry crowns & waiting for the green sprouts to begin (((HUGS))) Fondly, Margie

[redzone]

in the front of the house, the green blades of the tulips have emerged from the ground..... after a strange and wet winter, it will be nice to see flowers again.... today, the 2nd day of Spring is wet again with rain and the creek out back may again overflow its banks.... but in a few weeks I will play in dirt once again, weed and get the ground ready to plant in mid April... not sure what I will grow this year, but last year was my first attempt so should be even more productive this year... I am also not aa big fan of those pesky squirrels, they knock all the seed from the bird feeders... the birds though pay them no never mind and sometimes even chase them away.. lol... as for the voles, I usually just cover over their holes, but new ones appear anyway... lol...

thanks Margie for your kind words and mostly for your visit to this poem...

I have always loved to play in dirt Margie, as a kid I would help my grandmother with her roses, usually coming away with scrapes and thorns on my arms... lol...

[barleygirl]

Thanks for sharing your gardening joys! *smile*