prayer to the redwood whale

yo! redwood!
i know you're a whale now,
know you're making the connection
with the watery realm,
i know you're standing in
for neptune and his dolphins,
and have heard many a blast
on the conch trumpet,
but, redwood,
do you not miss the forest floor
you fell to, do you not miss
the company of oxalis
and tree vole, owl
and flying squirrel?
do you not miss the chance
to nurse the next generation,
to become fertilizer
in a happy transformation?
i know you're doing good work,
i know you're inspiring people
to get together, change their ways,
not harpoon anymore,
not dump garbage in the sea,
and maybe, just maybe,
not to cut redwoods.
well, i guess you're a sacrifice,
and who am i
to say you didn't choose
to fall in that storm?
maybe you imagined the day
you'd be carved in the shape of a whale
and carted on a flatbed,
maybe you imagined the day
you'd be surrounded by children
and poets, and listen to recordings
of whale songs, blasted out
from human-made loudspeakers,
maybe you wanted
to be a part of all that.

Dennis Fritzinger