One Green Leaf

One green leaf
under one blue sky
asks of the human – why?

Why do you cage
what is wild, beautiful and free?
Are you afraid to lose your tight grip on a controlled humanity?

Why do you keep much more than you need?
In your house, your home,
which is much like my tree.

Minimalism thrives in the harshest scapes,
we take what we need,
leaving the rest in place.

Could one thoughtful leaf
on a branch,
on a tree,
with a season-long life
be wiser than me?

Why do you ingest food you cannot digest?
You let your tongue do the thinking,
and expect nature to do the rest.

Why are you so sick
with advanced medicine on your side?
Have you tried wild herbs and native plants
to set illness aside?

Have you forgotten the stories and tales of old?
Are they too simple,
plain or boring,
or have you grown too impatient, deaf and cold?

Why do you insist on flying thousands of miles away?
Us leaves do not stray far,
from where our ancestors lay.

We need no break
from the trials of life,
in a storm we have learned to hold on tight.
If we fall,
by random chance,
we become the soil
and continue the dance.

Is it true, could it be?
That one thoughtful leaf,
on a branch,
on a tree,
with a season-long life,
is wiser than me?

Written and recorded by Cheryl Magyar

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