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In case I haven't mentioned it before, I love author Jo Walton. I had the pleasure of beta-reading her most recent novel & I have enjoyed (as a regular fan) many of her other works, including the Sulien series, Among Others, & Tooth and Claw. I ADORED The Just City, which imagined a world where philosophers tried to live out the ideas of Plato.
I also sponsor Jo's poetry on Patreon. Below is a poem she sent out yesterday. In her email to her Patreon sponsors, she said she was inspired by a news article reporting that wolf cubs have been spotted near Rome for the first time in a century. And she also referenced the fantastic video How Wolves Change Rivers, discussing the changes observed in Yellowstone since wolves were reintroduced there.
Today you told me that the wolves came back
To Rome, but didn't mention if a bird
Flew over left to right, on the right track,
For fragile hope, speak no ill-omened word.
Wolves will restore the balance to a place
Cull deer, grow trees, bend rivers, and their sway
Shapes of the land itself a wilder space.
Of course, it's true there's other news today.
Ill omens reaching out their bloody spoor
Hurricane, earthquake, famine, hatred, lack,
Bad water, cholera, destruction, war.
Against the autumn sky the birds whirl black
Which augurs well, so I shall hope once more:
Today you told me that the wolves came back.
I draw a surprising amount of comfort from this poem & the ideas behind it. The world has been nothing but ill omens for month after suppurating month. But in the end, Nature will repair all the damage we do - if we just get out of the way. We aren't necessary to the process.
I also sponsor Jo's poetry on Patreon. Below is a poem she sent out yesterday. In her email to her Patreon sponsors, she said she was inspired by a news article reporting that wolf cubs have been spotted near Rome for the first time in a century. And she also referenced the fantastic video How Wolves Change Rivers, discussing the changes observed in Yellowstone since wolves were reintroduced there.
Today you told me that the wolves came back
To Rome, but didn't mention if a bird
Flew over left to right, on the right track,
For fragile hope, speak no ill-omened word.
Wolves will restore the balance to a place
Cull deer, grow trees, bend rivers, and their sway
Shapes of the land itself a wilder space.
Of course, it's true there's other news today.
Ill omens reaching out their bloody spoor
Hurricane, earthquake, famine, hatred, lack,
Bad water, cholera, destruction, war.
Against the autumn sky the birds whirl black
Which augurs well, so I shall hope once more:
Today you told me that the wolves came back.
I draw a surprising amount of comfort from this poem & the ideas behind it. The world has been nothing but ill omens for month after suppurating month. But in the end, Nature will repair all the damage we do - if we just get out of the way. We aren't necessary to the process.
