“If man is ever going to admit that he belongs to the earth, not the other way round, it probably will be in late June.
Then it is that life surpasses man’s affairs with incredible urgency and outreaches him in every direction…
The incalculable energy of chlorophyll, the green leaf itself, dominates the earth, and the root in the soil is the inescapable fact.
Even the roadside weed ignores man’s legislation.”
–Hal Borland, “The Urgency” (1961). Collected in Sundial of the Seasons (1964)
David Fisher, Carving Explorations 
fabulous–thanks for the introduction–didn’t know Hal Borland–beautiful thoughtful writing–
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Yes, Marie, I enjoy his writing. I have mainly explored his essays and such so far, but he also published novels and poetry. He lived from 1900-1978.
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Hey, David,
I liked this — except I’d edit the first line to read “modern man,” as I do believe our ancestors knew more about that than we do.
And I’ve been meaning to tell you about a book I read recently that I thought you might be interested in (if you don’t already know it): Diana Beresford Kroeger’s To Speak for the Trees. It’s auto-biographical, by a botanist/scientist who (after being orphaned) was raised in a traditional Irish context. Did you know the 22 letters of the Gaelic alphabet are all tree (or forest plant) names? Good story. Also some good interviews in this Canadian publication:
https://thetyee.ca/News/2018/10/22/Tree-Teachings-Forest-Wildfires/
Happy late June…
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Thanks for all that information, Kiko. I really have to explore that bit about the Gaelic alphabet.
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Never heard that before. Wonderful words.
Sent from my iPhone
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What a fantastic quotation, Dave! I was just outside having—I swear—that exact thought (or feeling?), but not having the words for it. It’s my favorite moment in summer. Thank you for this.
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Good to know I’ve got company. I had just read Borland’s words and decided to take a walk with my camera. It wasn’t hard to see the truth in what he wrote and snap a few photos. And the fledgling robin was hopping around the back yard when I returned home.
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Thanks Dave… though my June is chilly and wet.
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Thank you David – good words…I’ll look into Hal Borland
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