Image: T.B. Mooney, 2015

wilderness
happens when its dark
when we turn our back
when its cold and miserable outside

wilderness is everywhere
roadside ditches and abandoned coal mines
in your backyard and on your skin

wilderness will not be ruled
but will  rule itself by its own wild nature
wilderness is unstoppable
wilderness is opportunistic
it will retreat when under threat
to abide patiently its time
till danger passed

wilderness is constant change
and
constant creation

wilderness and
us

as part of it
derive from the soil that is building
since the beginning

a little change in our perception,
our walk through our time
and this amazing world
can save us in this wilderness,
till the end
when the lights go out

of course and undeniably
we as a species
have altered wilderness,
not unlike big catastrophes that
threatened established
and relative stability

a neowilderness,
creatures missing
still immense in its abundance
and wondrous workings

wilderness can be without us

Wilderness in truck, Image: 2015

i was delighted to be born about forty years ago
and spend most of my waking time looking around
I enjoyed having been asked to think about wilderness this past couple of months,
amazing to  realize the extent of the word
wilderness
and our place in it

as a gardener i see the strength and limitless
power of nature
constantly
and think we can carve us a niche to exist alongside
wilderness if we want
this planet has had a good few scratches but she’ll
hurdle on yet for a while
wilderness is growth and creation.
(Tobi Luck gardens and ponders from County Sligo, Ireland.)